Living with the Greasers
by Fiction by Jen
Summary: A bunch of fluffy oneshots following Jennifer, Angelina, Emma, Rachel, and the rest of the gang as they navigate marriage, parenthood, and life together.
1. Graduation

Rachel POV

"I'm so proud of you." Jennifer said as soon as I walked out of my room in my cap and gown.

"Thanks." I tried to dodge Jennifer coming at me with lip gloss. "Honestly, Jennifer, I don't need to reapply that stuff every fifteen minutes."

"Just keep it in your purse or something." She sighed, handing over the tube. I put it in my small clutch and followed Angelina, Jennifer, and Emma out to the car. We drove out to Will Rogers High School and met up with the Curtis family.

"You look nice." I commented, observing all my boyfriend's cords and medals. Sodapop gave Jennifer a hug and a peck on the lips.

"So do you. Come on, we should go inside and line up." Ponyboy said, grabbing my hand and leading me into the school. The process of lining up took a while, even though we had done it three times before during the rehearsal and were told to memorize the people directly in front of and behind us. Finally, I could hear the first few measures of Pomp and Circumstance, and I knew it was time to start walking.

We listened to speeches from the superintendent, Principal, and Vice Principal. They were the classic you have your whole future ahead of you speeches and I didn't listen that closely to them.

"And now, the class valedictorian, Ponyboy Curtis, is going to say a few words." I watched as Ponyboy emerged from the wings of the stage, and stood up at the podium.

"We stand here today on the precipice of the future. It's not a distant reality anymore. It begins here. It begins today. We began high school as children, but we're leaving here as adults. We've completed a basic education that will serve as the platform we use to launch ourselves into our futures. Some of us will go on to college, others will go straight into the workforce, but each of us will travel our own path. No matter where we go or what we do, there are challenges ahead of us. What I'm asking from each of you, and from myself, is to meet those challenges straight on with your head held high and your heart wide open. It's not enough to simply try to get by in life. That doesn't move the world forward. You must try to excel in everything you do; strive for excellence in every task, large or small. Although it may not be easy to see, every accomplishment you achieve is added to the world's accomplishments. Your individual successes benefit society as a whole because when you succeed, you lighten the burden on your fellow man. When you succeed, you are in a position to give rather than take. Imagine if every individual lived up to his or her own potential. Think about how amazing that would be, and how much better off the world would be. Now imagine if just half of those individuals lived up to their potential. The world would still be an awesome place. If even 1/4 of those individuals worked to make their lives successful, they could still make some amazing contributions to society. Well, we may not have the power to inspire the entire world to strive for success, but we do have the power to try to achieve it for ourselves. My challenge to each of you, and to myself, is to do all that you can do to reach your full potential. If each of the two hundred students in this graduating class is able to do that, just imagine the effect that would have. The future is truly in our hands, so let's make the most of it. Thank you." Ponyboy waited for the applause to end and then took his seat.

"And now we will listen to a few words from the salutatorian..." I had stopped listening again, and my nerves came to an all time high. Finally, it was time to receive our diplomas, and I listened as Mr. Minier read off our names.

" . . . Leah Cisco . . . Ponyboy Curtis . . ." I could hear clapping behind me, and someone whistled. _Probably Sodapop_. "Alexandra Jackson. . ." Finally, I got out of my seat and stood back stage. "Adam Smith . . . Rachel Raye . . ." I walked across the stage and received my diploma. I shook hands with the superintendent, principal, and vice principal, and then walked off stage.

"Congratulations Class of 1967." We all threw our caps into the air, some of us caught them, but others probably will be looking for theirs for a while. We all walked back up the aisle to Pomp and Circumstance and I walked straight into Angelina's embrace.

"Congrats Grad!" She said happily as we hung back with Sodapop and Darry while they waited for Ponyboy. After everyone was gathered, we got back into our cars and drove to the Curtis's house.

When we walked to the backyard, there were blue and gold streamers and balloons everywhere. On a table was some food and a large cake that said _Congratulations Rachel and Ponyboy._

I went inside and quickly changed into jeans and a t-shirt and returned outside. My friends and the Curtis's were gone, probably changing as well.

"Congratulations!" Two-Bit said hugging me and lifting me in the air.

"Can't breathe." I gasped.

"Oh sorry." He said, putting me down, and immediately ran over to the food table. I grabbed some of the fruit and ate it as I waited for everyone else to come back out. All of us sat in the grass and ate. Jennifer was sitting on Sodapop's lap and they were sharing a plate. Angelina and Johnny were sitting together on a blanket and sharing off of each other's plates, but they were not as openly affectionate and Jennifer and Sodapop. Emma was basically guarding her plate from her boyfriend, who occasionally tried to take a bite of her food. The rest of us just ate like normal people, with our own food on our own plates.

"Hey, look what I found." Steve pulled a football out of the bushes.

"Awesome lets play." Ponyboy said. He turned back to me. "Rachel, want to join?"

"Always." I said, brushing myself off and standing next to Ponyboy. We all divided off into teams, even Jennifer decided to join us.

"Jennifer!" Steve called as he passed her the ball. She started running, hands ready to catch the ball. She reached her hands up, about to touch the ball.

"Jennifer watch out for that..." Angelina called, however it was too late. Jennifer flipped over the table and food went flying. The punch bowl flew up in the air and spilled its contents all over her, staining her white t-shirt pink. The bowl landed on her head, and she was absolutely covered in food.

"... Table." Angelina sighed as we all ran over to Jennifer.

"Jennifer?" Sodapop lifted the bowl off her head and crouched in front of her.

"I caught it." She said, raising the ball triumphantly, surprised at herself.

"Cool, but do you need medical attention or something?" Jennifer shook her head and tried to get up. She slipped in the punch soaked grass and fell back on the ground. Sodapop lifted her up and began carrying her away from the table. "I think you've had enough." As Sodapop carried her away, she tossed the ball back to Steve.

"You sure you're all right?" He asked, holding the ball.

"I'm fine." She laughed.

We continued with our game as Jennifer walked inside to clean up. After it got dark, we all laid under the stars together and told stories to each other. Slowly, one by one, we all drifted off to sleep.


	2. Birthday Bash

**July 20, 1968**

Ponyboy POV

Jennifer sighed as we trekked across town to the bakery to pick up a bag of rolls. We could kind of see it but the heat warped everything.

"I don't want to do this any more than you do." I sighed. "It's too hot to be out like this." I wiped the sweat from my forehead and looked over at my brother's girlfriend.

"You got that right. I still don't see why we couldn't just go to the grocery store down the block from my place." We finally reached the bakery and Jennifer pulled out a couple bills to pay for two dozen rolls.

As we walked back, I could only wish for an ice cold bottle of Pepsi. Jennifer pushed some hair out of her face. _I have never seen her that red, not even when she managed to run into Darry's parked truck in front of the whole gang. And how can she not be sweating?_

"Just one more block and we're home." She said tiredly. She had slowed down considerably since when we first left the house, and I began wondering if she had heat stroke. As we approached the porch, she dropped to the ground, out cold. _I knew it was a bad idea to be out in this weather_. I ran through the front door.

"Jennifer fainted!" Angelina, Sodapop, and Darry ran outside and Johnny gave me a tall glass of ice water. I quickly gulped the whole thing down, feeling a lot better. A few minutes later Angelina and Sodapop slowly walked back into the house, helping Jennifer in too. Johnny took one look at Jennifer and made another glass of ice water. Angelina laid her down and propped her legs on the couch.

"Some way to spend a birthday, right Ponyboy?" She laughed weakly. I nodded my head. Angelina left the room and returned with a cool cloth to sponge Jennifer's face and a thermometer.

"You guys could have taken the truck. It's far too hot to be walking." Darry said as he put the rolls in a basket. I nodded my head once again and went in the fridge to get a bottle of Pepsi.

"I wouldn't be drinking that quite yet. The caffeine will make you dehydrated." Angelina said as she fanned Jennifer's face. I turned to the sink and got another glass of water. I looked over at my brother, who was holding Jennifer's hand and watching as Angelina took care of her. She sighed relieved as she took the thermometer out of Jennifer's mouth again. "Her temperature has gone down. Can you get another wet rag Sodapop?" He got up but went to our bedroom first. When he came back he set a card in Jennifer's hand.

"Surprise." He whispered, putting a rag behind Jennifer's head. Jennifer opened the card, and smiled at what was written inside it.

"Happy birthday!" Rachel called as she, Emma, and Two-Bit walked into the house. Angelina walked up to me with the thermometer and put it in my mouth. She began feeling my face and I swatted at her hands.

"Stop touching me." I mumbled.

"Hey, suck it up. We want to make sure you aren't going to die." Darry said, handing me a wet rag. I rolled my eyes and put the wet rag on the back of my neck.

"I think you're just dehydrated. You don't have a high temperature or anything." Angelina deducted. I nodded my head and sat on the floor of the living room by Rachel.

"What happened?" She removed the rag from my neck and looked over at where Jennifer was lying on the couch.

"Jennifer and I had to walk across town and we think she got heat stroke." Rachel nodded and handed me a wrapped box.

"It's small but I think you will like it." She explained simply. I opened the box and found a new watch and some candy. I immediately put on the watch and admired it.

"Thank you Rachel." I pecked her on the cheek.

"Happy birthday." She murmured in my ear as I wrapped my arm around her.

"Let's play truth or dare." Two-Bit said as Steve and Dally walked in.

"Sounds good to me." Rachel said.

"I'll do it if Jennifer's up for it." Sodapop said. Jennifer simply nodded, and we took that as our green light that she was on board.

"Ponyboy, truth or dare?" Two-Bit asked.

"Truth." I said, trying to keep it safe.

"What was the last thing you lied about?"

"I failed my last exam this year."

"What?!" I shrank back as Darry stood up. Sodapop grabbed Darry's arm and looked up at him. "It's fine. You'll do better next time." He said, sitting back down.

"Darry, truth or dare?" I said, looking at my oldest brother.

"Dare."

"Run around the neighborhood and scream 'I'm Superman!'" Everyone in the room began laughing and we followed Darry outside to make sure he actually did his dare.

"All right. Angelina, truth or dare." He asked, his face turning less red from the heat.

"I suppose I could do a dare." She said slowly.

"Make out with Johnny!" Two-Bit said before Darry could decide what to dare Angelina to do.

"No!" She yelled, getting up to leave. Johnny grabbed her hand and gently pulled her back down.

"Two-Bit go sit in the corner." Emma reprimanded. Two-Bit hung his head, but followed his girlfriend's command.

"Go to the fridge and get out the cake." Darry said. Angelina smiled and went to our kitchen and set a cake on the coffee table.

"Two-Bit, truth or dare."

"Truth, I ain't got nothing to hide."

"What the heck were you thinking?"

"He wasn't." Emma said quickly.

"Actually, I was thinking about... Um... I'd better not talk about that right now." Angelina gasped, her face reddening, and Emma hit Two-Bit on the upside of his head.

"You go back in your corner." Emma said.

"Can you at least pass the cake?" He whined.

"Not yet." She said pulling out a box of candles. Emma arranged the candles around the border of the cake and Darry passed a lighter. She lit the candles and everyone sang happy birthday quite obnoxiously, but they were having fun. Jennifer and I both blew out the candles and Angelina started serving. Two-Bit was allowed away from his corner to eat the cake with us. I sat down next to Rachel and handed her a slice of cake.

"So what happened to you?" Emma asked Jennifer as she took a bite of her cake.

"She fainted." Angelina said drinking some water.

"How?"

"Heat stroke." Darry explained.

"Well that was-" Emma was interrupted when Two-Bit shoved her plate of cake on her face, "smart." She wiped the cake off her face and turned to Two-Bit. We all sat in dead silence, waiting for what Emma might do. "You know, that was really good cake. You should try it." She gripped Two-Bit's head and pressed it down into his cake. He lifted up his head and pushed his hair back, the frosting sticking it all together. He picked up a fistful of cake and tried to fling it at Emma, but she dodged it and it smacked Dally.

"What the hell?!" He yelled, the cake sliding off his chest and onto the floor.

"Hey Ponyboy?"

"What?" Rachel smashed her piece of cake onto my face and laughed.

"Dally! What the?" Johnny yelled somewhere. I tried to wipe the cake off my eyes and saw Johnny trying to get some spattered frosting off of his jaw from the piece of cake now on his shoulder. I looked down at my hands, and smeared some of the cake on my girlfriend's face. I then took a handful of cake from the table and chucked at Sodapop.

"Guys what are you doing!" Angelina called as my piece hit Sodapop on his Adams Apple. She opened her mouth to speak but a piece of cake landed right on her cheek. "Johnny? Really?"

"SODA!" Jennifer screeched and we all froze. I looked over and her entire face was a mix of pink, blue, green, and white frosting. She spit out some of the frosting from her mouth and gingerly took her glasses off. She glared at Sodapop who attempted to wipe some of the frosting off her face but was suppressing a laugh.

"She's alive." Steve said mimicking Dr. Frankenstein. Sodapop's bad aim meant he only got cake on the outside of his stomach rather that inside. I looked over at Angelina as she peeled the cake off her face. She held it in her hand then looked over at Darry, who managed to stay clean. Everyone gasped as she slapped the cake onto his mouth. When she removed her hand Darry stood like a statue. He breathed heavy and walked into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry Darry." Angelina started as she followed him, looking slightly panicked.

"It's ok." Darry responded out of sight from everyone. After a moment I leaned over and saw him walk out of the room, carrying a chocolate cake. Angelina stumbled out the kitchen, her face brown. I realized Darry's hand was covered in frosting and there was an indent in the cake.

"Oh it's on." She said, using one hand against the wall to balance herself.

"Food fight!" Jennifer yelled, getting up off the couch.

Everything turned to shit. There was chocolate and vanilla cake flying everywhere. Angelina and Johnny had hid themselves behind the couch and were flinging bits of cake at everyone in the room. Two-Bit and Emma had their hands locked, trying to force the other into Darry's giant cake. Steve came between them and stuffed a piece into each of their faces. I started using the candy from Rachel's gift as little bullets. Dally sprinted behind Jennifer, trying to hit Darry with a huge slice of chocolate cake. In the commotion, he pushed her onto the coffee table and she got frosting all down the front of her body and face.

"Seriously?" She used both hands to wipe frosting off her face. She looked over at me and grinned mischievously. "Ponyboy, I think you need a hug." She came over to me and wrapped her arms around me. I slipped out of her grip and fell backwards. I stayed on the ground and closed my eyes.

"Ponyboy!" Sodapop yelled. I opened my eyes and saw my brother standing above me. He looked terrified and I realized the room was dead silent. "Are you okay?" He reached down and wiped some icing off my forehead.

"I'm fine." I laughed, taking my brother's hand and getting up.

"Good. I thought you fainted." I looked around as everyone recovered from the food fight. Dally's once blond hair was now dyed a menagerie of colors from the frosting. Jennifer, Emma, and their boyfriends were covered head to toe in cake. Angelina and Johnny managed not to have too much cake on them. Everyone else was caked to varying degrees, but we all looked ridiculous.

Two-Bit licked his upper lip. "This cake is pretty good. Why did you waste it?"

"You started it goofball. Remember?" Emma said, punching her boyfriend in the arm.

"How the hell did I get cake in my ear?" Steve said, rubbing the mentioned body part.

"Here's a better question. How are we going to clean this up?" Darry sighed.

"Well, first, maybe we should clean ourselves up? And then we can all pitch in to clean the room." Angelina suggested. We all nodded and followed her instructions. Soda, Darry, and I lent everyone some of our clean clothes on the condition that they were returned to us the next day. After everyone took a quick shower and changed, we all got to work on cleaning. It was amazing some of the places that cake ended up. Darry had to get a ladder to clean some from off the ceiling.

"So, did you two have a good birthday?" Rachel asked. I looked over at Jennifer, who was in the kitchen scrubbing the wall.

"Yes. It was loads of fun." I said.

"I second that." Jennifer added.

"We need to do this again!" Two-Bit exclaimed, causing everyone to laugh and roll their eyes.


	3. Sunsets and Sleepovers

**August 1968**

Sodapop POV

"Where are we going?" Jennifer asked me as I drove her through town. She attempted to undo her blindfold, and I took her hand.

"You'll find out soon enough." She sighed and relaxed. I drove to the edge of town to the old water tower and stopped the car. I took off Jennifer's blindfold and led her to the tower.

"What are we doing here?"

"Just climb up." She looked at me warily, but followed my directions.

When we finally got to the top, Jennifer leaned against the railing and looked at all of Tulsa.

"I've never seen the town from this perspective." She breathed, taking in the scene. It was beautiful, with the sun setting and the sky turning all sorts of different oranges and reds.

I watched as she was looking around in awe and figured that it was now or never. I bent down on my right knee and pulled the box out of my pocket. Jennifer turned to say something to me and gasped.

"Jennifer, you're the most perfect girl I have ever known. The second I saw you standing in my living room I knew we were meant to be and every second I spent with you after that only solidified my knowledge. We've been through so much together, both good and bad, and I want to be together for the rest of our lives. So, will you marry me?" Her hands flew to her mouth as she started crying and she nodded her head. I took her left hand and slid the silver ring with a heart shaped diamond on her finger and enveloped her in a hug. We sat down and just enjoyed each other's company and I pulled out a bottle of champagne and poured some for the both of us. She sipped it carefully, her eyes locked on mine.

"I love you." She whispered, leaning into me.

"I love you too."

We sat up on the tower for hours, just talking and planning our lives out together.

"You know, we're going to have to tell your brothers about this, right? And I'm not too sure Darry will approve of us getting married so young." Jennifer said suddenly.

"We can tell them right now." I told Jennifer as I helped her up and guided her to the ladder. Her face changed from one of bliss, to one of fear and concern. I started climbing down the ladder first, with Jennifer a few steps above me. She missed the last three steps though, and fell to the ground flat on her back.

"Are you okay?" I hovered over her, as she gasped, trying to catch her breath.

"Fabulous." She said as she sat up.

"Nothing's broken?" I knelt beside her.

"Only my pride." She took my hand and I helped her stand back up. I brushed a few leaves out of her hair and walked her to the car.

The whole ride back to my house, Jennifer was nearly silent, except for incessantly tapping her fingers against her legs. When I parked the car, I grabbed both of her hands.

"There's no need to be scared. They're not going to do anything to you, except maybe hug you."

"I know." Jennifer said, looking at the house.

"So come on." I said as I got out of the car. Jennifer got out of the car and followed me into my house. We were greeted with Darry drinking a mug of coffee and reading the paper.

"You're late." He told me, gesturing towards the clock. _One in the morning? How did that happen?_

"Sorry." I said, grabbing Jennifer's left hand.

"Hey Soda. Where were you?" Ponyboy sleepily walked down the stairs and sat down on the bottom step.

"Actually, we have something to tell you." Jennifer spoke up, looking up into my eyes. "Sodapop proposed to me tonight, and I said yes." The room was dead silent for a few seconds, and I felt Jennifer tense up. Darry let out a slow breath.

"You know we've talked about this, Sodapop." He said.

"I know..." I sighed.

"All I want you to know is," he cracked a smile, "that Mom and Dad would be so proud of you. Congrats you two, and welcome to the family, Jennifer." He said finally, standing up to hug us both. Ponyboy ran over to hug us, nearly knocking down Jennifer in the process.

"It's late out, and I don't really want Jennifer to walk home in the dark, but I don't feel comfortable letting you drive either, Soda. I'm just going to call her house and say she's staying here for the night so Angelina doesn't worry too much." Darry said as he made his way to the phone. "Hi Angelina. Sorry for calling so late . . . Jennifer is over here right now . . . Yes, she's fine. I just don't want her to walk home in the dark . . . Is it alright if she stays here? . . . All right, I'll pass her the phone." Jennifer took the phone from Darry and pressed it to her ear.

"Angelina, calm down . . . Everything is fine. I promise. I'll explain tomorrow when I get home . . . Love you too. Bye." Jennifer set the phone back into its cradle.

"Ponyboy, you need to go to bed. It's late." Darry said, Ponyboy nodded his head and returned upstairs.

"Do you have something I could use for pajamas?" Jennifer asked me.

"Come with me, I'll see what I can come up with." I said as I led Jennifer to my room. _She's so much smaller than me. How am I supposed to find clothes that fit her?_ I gave her a pair of sweats that I could only hope fit her, and one of my t-shirts to wear on top. She gave me a peck on the lips and went to the bathroom to change. When she returned I couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not my fault that you are so much bigger than I am." She whined.

"You look adorable." I laughed, kissing her forehead. I took a pillow off my bed and a blanket from my closet. "Good night, Jennifer dearest." I said as I walked back downstairs to the living room to sleep on the couch.

"Good night Soda." She called. I couldn't help but smile remembering all of the events that happened. _First I find her out of no where in my house. Then save her from socs. And now..._ I had to take a breath thinking of tonight _. Jennifer and I are getting married._ I collapsed the couch not even wanting to go to sleep because my dreams have all become real.


	4. A Carnival

Jennifer POV

I woke up early in the morning on Sodapop's bed. I looked down at my left hand and saw the sparkling diamond on my finger. _So last night wasn't a dream after all_. I went to the bathroom to shower and change and made my way downstairs. Soda was sound asleep on the couch, and snored quietly. I smiled and walked into the kitchen, quickly locating everything I would need to cook up enough breakfast to feed a small army. I made some hard-boiled eggs for Angelina and Ponyboy and started frying an egg to put on Darry's breakfast sandwich. I used a whole carton of eggs to make scrambled eggs for everyone else, and took out the chocolate cake, chocolate milk, and grape jelly. I set everything on the table and started a pot of coffee just as Darry walked in.

"Did you do all of this?" He looked at his table in amazement.

"Yes." I smiled and handed him his sandwich and cup of coffee. "It's the least I could do after you let me spend the night." Darry cut himself a large slice of cake and turned to go to the living room.

"Thanks." He said, looking back at me.

"You're welcome." Ponyboy walked in a few minutes later and helped himself to breakfast.

"I think I can get used to having you as a sister in law." He laughed. I simply smiled and shook my head. I walked back to the living room and looked at my sleeping fiancé.

"Wake up. I made breakfast." I whispered in his ear. He snorted as he woke up and his brown eyes locked with mine.

"Good morning." He said in his husky morning voice. He pulled me on top of him and Darry cleared his throat. I looked at Darry sheepishly as Sodapop whined and let go. "So did I hear correctly?"

"Yup everything's ready on the table." Sodapop got up and sleepily padded into the kitchen. "May I use the phone?" Darry nodded and I dialed home.

"Hello?" I heard Angelina say.

"Hey, it's me. Bring the girls over, all right?"

"Why? You said you'd be coming home today. I thought that meant you'd be coming home, not us getting you. And we haven't eaten yet."

"Well there's been a change in plans. Plus there's plenty of food over here. Just get here as soon as possible."

"All right." Angelina sighed. "I'll see you in ten minutes." She hung up the phone. Steve and Two-Bit walked in just as I set the phone down.

"Hey guys, there's breakfast in the kitchen." I said simply. They nodded their heads. I sat down with my own plate of eggs and chocolate cake when Angelina, Rachel, and Emma walked in.

"Hello." Angelina said simply before she walked into the kitchen to get some food. Minutes later, Dally and Johnny walked in.

"Jennifer made breakfast, there's probably still some left if you want it." Darry said after taking another sip of coffee. Johnny nodded his head at me and followed Dally into the kitchen. Sodapop sat down next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. As soon as everyone was settled he cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm happy to announce that after three years, I'm finally going to become the happiest man alive. In maybe a year, we are going to have a new member of the Curtis family as Jennifer has accepted my proposal and is now my fiancée." Sodapop grabbed my hand and showed off my ring.

"All ready?" Emma stared at me.

"Fiancée of how long?" Angelina asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"He proposed last night." I responded.

"Wow. Congrats!" Johnny said. He turned to look at Angelina.

"Last night? What?" Angelina stared at me. I simply smiled.

"You'll be very happy together." Rachel said, breaking the awkward silence.

"I knew it was only a matter of time until you two were married. Congrats!" Two-Bit said slapping Sodapop on the back.

"Jennifer Curtis. It does sound nice." Steve said, giving me a one armed hug. "You chose her well Sodapop."

"Well why don't we celebrate by going to the carnival that just came into town?" Dally said as he got out of his seat.

"Sounds good to me." Darry said. We all put our plates in the sink and began walking downtown. Angelina and I hung behind a bit.

"So what was with Emma's reaction?" I asked, kicking a pebble down the sidewalk.

"What do you mean?" Angelina looked at me.

"You know what I mean. We've been together for three years now. This was bound to happen someday."

"But now? Jennifer, you're only nineteen. You haven't lived long enough." Angelina stopped and turned to me.

"Maybe I haven't, but does it really matter?" I huffed, slightly annoyed.

"It might. What you do today can cause things you never would have imagined ten years from now. You really should have thought about this." Angelina responded.

"I know. But I'm happy and Sodapop's happy. Isn't that all that matters in the end?" I registered that I was raising my voice slightly, and I was positive my irritation was written all over my face.

"You may be happy now, but..." Sodapop showed up and stood next to me. "We'll talk about this at home." Angelina finished, staring at Soda.

"Talk about what?" Soda asked, looking from me to Angelina and back.

"About... About your engagement." Angelina said with no emotion.

"What about it?" Sodapop wrapped a protective arm around me.

"She thinks we're too young." I responded, looking at Angelina.

"Don't get me wrong. I assumed that one day you would ask her but I wasn't thinking it would be so soon." Angelina said.

"I know, but we're both adults now and we know what we're doing." Sodapop ran his hand through his hair.

"Really? You know what you're doing? You are just out a year of beauty school and you still work at the gas station. You guys need to be stable enough to get married and a lot can come at you in the future. Could you handle it?" Angelina looked at both of us, her blue eyes concerned.

"Steve and I are going to open our own repair shop. And I've been putting aside half of every paycheck for a year so we could have something to start up with when we get married." Sodapop said.

"And Ethel paid off beauty school for me and I have a steady job now, so all my income can go towards our bills." I informed Angelina. She sighed.

"All right. I guess you feel you can handle it. But none of us have gotten married before. I'm just trying to be cautious for your sake." She said finally.

"Can we have your blessing?" Sodapop asked, gripping my hand.

"All right. Do you want me to make a speech or something?" Angelina smiled and laughed slightly.

"We just want to know you support us." I said.

"I do support you. I just wanted to be sure that you knew what you were doing." Angelina said, looking at the two of us. I smiled and gave Angelina a big hug, relieved everything worked out. "We should probably catch up with everyone else." She said suddenly. I nodded and we all jogged back to our mob of people. Angelina walked behind Johnny and tapped his shoulder. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her.

"Here's the life of the party. Where have you two been?" Two-Bit asked, wrapping one of his arm around me and the other arm around Sodapop.

"Leave them alone Keith." Emma laughed as she pulled her boyfriend away from us. "Congrats." She whispered in my ear. I smiled and took Sodapop's hand. I looked ahead and could see the big Ferris wheel and a bunch of vendors.

"All right guys. It's one o'clock now. The carnival closes at midnight. We need to all be back here by eleven or tell one of us if you're leaving early." Darry said, looking at each one of us.

With that we all stormed the carnival, splitting up into smaller groups. I watched as Rachel and Ponyboy raced towards the thriller attractions and Two and Emma head to the food. I took Soda's hand and we explored the carnival, taking our time to meander and ride the occasional ride.

"We should meet up with the gang soon." I said, looking at the time. Sodapop nodded and cleared our trash from our snack. We walked over to the Freak Out and quickly figured out that we were the last people that showed up to our meeting spot.

"If you two were any later, I would have sent a search party." Darry said, giving us his best "dad" look. I laughed slightly.

"We still have some time, let's ride this, and then the Ferris wheel." Angelina said excitedly. The rest of the gang nodded and we got in the short line to the ride. I gripped Sodapop's hand tightly, not exactly wanting to go on the ride, but not wanting to chicken out either. Angelina was bouncing on her toes excitedly, standing at the front of our group with Johnny. Two-Bit and Emma stood right behind her and Two-Bit was holding the giant stuffed panda. Darry stood tall behind them and looked around at all of us. Rachel and Ponyboy stood behind Darry, and Steve and Dally stood right behind them. Sodapop and I brought up the rear.

"You're cutting off my circulation, doll." Sodapop told me.

"Sorry." I loosened my grip slightly.

"Getting cold feet there Jennifer?" Two-Bit laughed.

"No." I said, my voice quivering.

"You're not going to wimp out on us are you?" Steve asked, punching my shoulder.

"Yeah, this isn't as bad as being locked in a basement." Emma said, trying to reassure me. Ponyboy smirked slightly. "And after this we'll all do whatever you want." I smiled.

"You'll be fine." Angelina said. Rachel patted me on the back.

"If you can drink hard lemonade at sixteen then you can handle this wimpy ride." Dally said. Johnny chuckled.

"I always thought you were more of a daredevil than Miss Angelina over here. Are you proving me wrong?" Two-Bit said. I groaned slightly and rubbed my forehead.

"You know you don't have to do this." Darry finally said as we walked onto the platform.

"Too late!" Dally said, shoving me in to the seat. _Ow! That hurt. A lot._ Before I could get up Johnny closed the restraint on me. _Seriously? Of all people to do that, Johnny was the last person I would expect to trap me in my seat like this._ He gave me a thumbs up before finding his seat.

"You're going to be fine. I'm right here." Sodapop said as he sat down to my left. Steve sat to my right and glanced over to make sure I wasn't having a panic attack. Angelina sat directly across from me between Johnny and Dally. She smiled encouragingly at me between looking from Dally and Johnny, annoyed. Rachel sat to one side between Ponyboy and Darry, and Emma sat on the other next to Two-Bit.

"Clear." The ride operator said as he lowered the floor. Sodapop patted my hand reassuringly and the ride began swinging slightly. I looked across at Angelina, who was smiling widely. I felt my stomach drop every time we swung towards the ground. Finally, it became too much and I had to close my eyes. When the ride ended, my eyes were still closed.

"You okay?" Darry asked as he pulled me from my seat.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I responded, wobbling slightly. Soda took my hand and Angelina linked her arm with mine and held Johnny's hand.

"You survived!" Emma cheered once we walked off the rickety ramp. "So a promise is a promise, what do you want to do?"

"Let's just go on the Ferris wheel." I said.

"You sure you're okay?" Sodapop asked me.

"I'm sure. But I won't be doing that again for a long time." I sighed, nearly tripping over my own feet.

"I have never seen someone that pale in my life. I was afraid she passed out on the ride." Johnny laughed as we got in line. I settled myself under Sodapop's arm and waited for our turn to get into one of the carts.

"So who's sitting with who?" Rachel asked.

"Jennifer and Steve can sit with me." Sodapop said. Steve nodded and came over to stand by us.

"I'll sit with Johnny." Dally said, and then he looked over to see Johnny and Angelina holding hands. "And Angelina."

"I'll sit with Emmy here." Two-Bit said, wrapping his arm around her neck.

"Hey, young guns, mind if I sit with you?" Darry laughed. Rachel and Ponyboy shook their heads.

Slowly, we began loading onto the ride. Emma and Two-Bit got on the first cart, Angelina, Dally, and Johnny got on the second. Steve, Soda, and I got in after them and the others got in after us. The ride moved quite slowly when we were still loading, so we had plenty of time just to look around and enjoy the different perspectives.

"I'M ON TOP OF THE WORLD." Two-Bit shouted above us, resulting in everyone laughing.

"Get down and shut up you moron! No one wants to see you flailing your limbs." Emma shouted. Their cart began shaking slightly and I heard Two-Bit laughing.

We slowly began to move again, and our cart ended up on top. Sodapop looked at me and pulled me closer to him. I tilted my face up and gave him a gentle kiss before we began coasting down as the ride finally started.


	5. Bachelorette

**September 13, 1969**

Jennifer POV

"So what do you want to do tonight?" I looked across the room where Angelina was standing by the half wall.

"I don't know."

"It's your last night as a single lady. Let's have a girls' night. I'll even break out some of our good wine." Angelina said, smiling, as she pulled me off the couch. "So what are you in the mood for?" Angelina pulled out some take out menus and spread them out in front of me.

"We haven't had Chinese in a while, and I could go for some shrimp lo mein." I said. Angelina nodded and dialed the number to place our order. I got out a few candles, set them on the table, and lit them.

"I'm going to go pick up the food." Angelina informed me as soon as she hung up.

"Did someone say food?" Rachel and Emma appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and sat down at the table. I could hear Angelina laughing as she put on her shoes and walked out.

"So how does it feel knowing that you're going to be a married woman at this time tomorrow?" Rachel asked as she patted my shoulder.

"It's so surreal. It feels like just yesterday Soda and I met." I leaned back in my chair and watched the candle flame dance. The girls and I sat in comfortable silence as we waited for Angelina to return with the food.

"I'm back!" Angelina called as she carried in a bag full of food. Rachel took the bag from her arms and began unpacking the takeout containers and setting them on the table. Angelina pulled the cork from the bottle of wine and poured some into four glasses. I smiled as she handed me my glass and took a sip before setting it down and serving myself some food.

"It's going to be weird not having you around anymore." Angelina said as she grabbed another fork from the drawer.

"I'm getting married, not moving to Alaska. You'll still see me around." I stabbed a piece of shrimp with my fork.

"Yeah, but we've all been living together for four years now. It's going to be weird to not see you every day."

"I can say the same to you girls though. But at least we won't be living too far from each other. I'm only a little down the road from Steve which is only a few miles from here." I smiled before taking another bite of food.

"Remember when Jennifer ran into that table at my grad party and managed to cover herself in food?" Rachel asked as we all got our food. I dropped my fork as I began laughing.

"Yeah, I had that huge bruise on my back for weeks. What about the time I dyed Angelina's hair red?" Angelina rolled her eyes and snickered slightly.

"I so would've killed you if that dye was permanent."

"Yeah, and when I walked into the house I thought you were slowly turning into Axel." Emma laughed and then took a small sip of her wine before making a face. "What about that time we were all playing capture the flag in the front yard and Jennifer ran straight into Darry's truck? I mean, how do you miss a huge truck?"

"She was too distracted by Steve and Soda playing tug of war with Steve's DX shirt." Angelina remarked. We continued eating, recalling many of our funny memories of each other. When I finished my food, I reached for a fortune cookie. The other girls quickly followed suit.

"A sense of humor makes everything better." Emma read out loud. "What does yours say?"

"Success involves hard work and a little good luck." Angelina replied quickly, smiling slightly at her fortune.

"You speak of beauty to your listeners." Rachel said slowly as she folded the tiny slip of paper and put it in her pocket. "What about you, Jennifer?"

I looked down at my fortune. "Eternal happiness is right around the corner." I smiled. "How did they know I was getting married tomorrow?" The other girls laughed before our eyes fell onto the last fortune cookie.

"So who's going to open that one?" Emma asked, eyeing the cookie.

"It's all yours." I smiled, knowing how much she loves those crunchy little cookies. Emma cracked the cookie open.

"You will receive a goat." Emma's face twisted in confusion. "What on God's green earth is that supposed to mean?" We all laughed as Emma began munching on the cookie. After she finished, we all took our dishes to the sink and sprawled out in the living room for a Star Trek marathon. Angelina laid out the snacks as I smiled as I enjoyed my last night of living with the girls. _There is never going to be anyone else quite like them._


	6. White Wedding

**September 14, 1969**

Jennifer POV

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I looked over at Angelina in the chair next to me.

"Positive." I replied simply.

"You're only twenty. You have your whole life ahead of you."

"And being married isn't going to stop me from living my life." I winced a little when Margaret stuck a hair pin straight into my head.

"You girls are good to go. Have a wonderful day!" My boss told us. Angelina, Rachel, Emma and I got out of our seats and paid for our hair styles. We walked outside and got into our car as quickly as possible and drove back to our house to do our makeup and nails.

"Okay, so natural faces and french tips sound good to everyone?" I asked as I shook a bottle of light pink nail polish.

"Sounds fine." Angelina said as we sat around the coffee table. I carefully painted everyone's nails and allowed Angelina and Rachel to do my nails.

"Let's put on our dresses before we put on the makeup." Angelina suggested. Emma rolled her eyes.

"But they're _pink_. And they're _dresses_. And I don't want to wear mine." Angelina lightly slapped Emma.

"Just make Jennifer happy okay? If you get married, you can make everyone wear jeans if that makes you happy."

"Ugh. Fine." Emma flailed her hands in the air and stalked off to her room to put on her dress. I sat on the couch and waited until my three almost sisters returned. When they came back, I had them all sit on the couch while I quickly did their makeup.

"Jennifer, sit down and relax. All right?" Angelina said as she pushed me into an armchair. "This is your wedding day and all you've done is work to make sure we look good." She picked up my foundation and squirted it on the back of her hand, like she had seen me do many times. I leaned back and closed my eyes and let her paint it on my face. Before I knew it, I had actually fallen asleep.

"Jennifer, wake up." I opened my eyes to find Angelina's crystal blue ones. "You still have to put on your dress." I nodded my head and followed her into our room. She helped me put on my dress and zipped it in the back. She used some bobby pins to secure my veil on my head and handed me my bouquet of white roses.

"You look just like a princess." She breathed while fluffing up my skirt. I adjusted my sweetheart top slightly. I turned around and hugged her, trying my best not to cry. We broke apart when we heard a knock on the door.

"Are you girls ready?" I heard Darry call.

"Just a minute." Angelina called back as she handed me my white heels. I carefully put them on and she picked up a silver necklace from the dresser. "Remember this?"

"Of course I do. You gave me that necklace to me when I was in the hospital after the socs kidnapped me." She clasped the necklace around my neck and I fingered the silver treble clef.

"Well, this isn't the exact one I got you. That one got badly tarnished, but I went to the jewelry store to get a replica made." She centered the pendant, and stood back a little. "It's real silver with rose quartz and synthetic diamonds."

"Thank you so much."

"It's your wedding present." Angelina smiled, hugging me back. "I think we should probably get going before people think you got cold feet." She laughed. Angelina gently picked up my train and veil as I walked into the living room. Two-Bit let out a low whistle.

"Sodapop sure is lucky to have you." He remarked.

"I'm lucky to have him."

It took all four of us girls to hike my dress up and help me get out of the house and into Darry's truck. Two-Bit drove the girls behind us.

"Sodapop couldn't sit still all day today." Darry told me as we drove.

"I can imagine."

"He really loves you."

"And I love him." We returned to driving in silence.

When we turned a corner and I could see the church steeple. My heart pounded in my chest. _I don't know why I'm so nervous._ Darry parked in the back parking lot and Two-Bit's brakes squealed as he parked next to him. The girls got out of the car, careful not to let their dresses drag on the ground. I carefully hopped down from Darry's truck and went inside the church to the small bride's room.

The door burst open and Dally was standing in the doorway, buttoning his shirt.

"Have you seen Sodapop?"

"I'm not supposed to see him. Remember?" I said, laughing. "But he is probably in the chapel behind the altar." I added.

"Okay thanks." Dally slammed the door shut and I could hear him running down the hall.

The door opened again a few minutes later, this time Darry poked his head in.

"We're ready whenever you are." He told me. I nodded and carefully stood up.

Angelina grabbed me by the arm and paused. "Well, this is it." She said, spreading the veil over my shoulders.

"No going back." I said, my voice shaky.

"Like you would even want to do that." She said, rolling her eyes. I tried to laugh, but my nerves prevented me from doing more than giving her a small smile. Angelina wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me, dispelling some of my nerves. "You know if you're ready for this."

"I am."

"Whatever happens now,"

"I'll have Sodapop by my side." Angelina smiled, kissed her hand placed it on my cheek, making sure not to smear any of my makeup.

"I love you sis."

"I love you too."

As Darry held out his arm for me, I tried not to dig my nails into his jacket. _If I'm gonna pass out from nerves at least he can catch me._

As I stood outside the sanctuary door, I could hear the end of the prelude music and the beginning of "Te Deum," the song Soda and I picked for the wedding party to walk down to. As Angelina walked through the double doors, I knew the time was near for me to meet my future husband. The end note of the song resonated as the piano player switched the music to "Canon in D," the song I have always wanted to walk down the aisle to.

"You ready?" Darry asked me. I nodded nervously as the double doors swung open and we began walking down the aisle. The groom's side was completely full of Sodapop's friends and extended family, but my side only had one full pew with Ethel and a couple of my friends from school and work. I directed my gaze towards Sodapop, watching as he tried to wipe away a few tears. Finally, our walk down the aisle ended and I was united with Sodapop.

"Take care of her." Darry whispered to Sodapop as he shook his hand and went to his seat.

The readings went straight over my head; I was too busy being nervous for the marriage itself.

Finally, the time had come. The priest, wedding party, Sodapop, and I all stood.

"My dear friends, you have come together in this church so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love in the presence of the Church's minister and this community. Christ abundantly blesses this love. He has already consecrated you in baptism and now he enriches and strengthens you by a special sacrament so that you may assume the duties of marriage in mutual and lasting fidelity. And so, in the presence of the Church, I ask you to state your intentions. Sodapop and Jennifer, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?"

"We have."

"Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?"

"We will."

"Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?"

"We will."

"Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church." Sodapop and I joined hands, he squeezed mine slightly, trying to help me relax.

"I, Sodapop Patrick Curtis, take you, Jennifer Marie Wallace, to be my wife, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

"I, Jennifer Marie Wallace, take you, Sodapop Patrick Curtis, to be my husband, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live. " I choked up slightly, and a lone tear began sliding down my face. Sodapop let go of one of my hands to wipe the tear.

"You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. What God has joined, men must not divide."

We responded with a solid "Amen."

The priest took our rings and raised his eyes to heaven. "Lord, bless and consecrate Sodapop and Jennifer in their love for one another, and always remind them of their love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

"Jennifer, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen." Sodapop gently slid the silver wedding band onto my finger.

"Sodapop, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen." My hand shook as I tried to slide the ring on Sodapop's finger.

"I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Curtis. You may now kiss your bride." Sodapop and I locked lips, and this kiss was different than all the others, there was more feeling and passion in it than I had ever felt. He dipped me as the congregation laughed, and pulled me close after we broke apart. We faced our guests and everyone in the church began clapping. _I'm Sodapop's wife. I'm married!_ The Wedding March began to play and we all made our way back up the aisle. Sodapop and I got in the back of Steve's car and he drove us through town to the local theater we were having our reception.

The lead singer of the band we hired announced the first dance and Sodapop and I made our way to the dance floor.

"Wise men say, only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with you." Sodapop and I swayed in a small circle together basking in each other's presence. We were finally married and there was nothing that could ruin our perfect happiness. At the end of the song, Sodapop kissed me again, and I knew that we were truly meant to be together till death do us part.


	7. Surprise!

**October 30, 1969**

Jennifer POV

"Feel better, hun. I'll see you later." Soda kissed my forehead and headed off to work. I pulled the comforter tighter around me and tried to fall back asleep, but I couldn't. I slipped out of bed and went down to the kitchen to make myself a hot cup of tea. I sat down on the couch and the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jennifer. Sodapop said you weren't feeling well." Angelina's voice on the other end of the phone was comforting and I leaned back into the couch slightly.

"Yeah. I've been pretty nauseous lately and have had really bad headaches."

"Are you on your period?" I thought back to the last time I had my period. _Not since two weeks before the wedding._ I almost dropped the phone. "Jennifer? Are you all right?"

"Angelina, I need you to do me a favor. Could you run down to the drugstore and buy me a pregnancy test?" I began feeling butterflies in my stomach.

"You think you're pregnant? You just got married a month ago." I could practically see Angelina's half confused and half annoyed face.

"Please, Angelina." I almost begged.

"I'll be over in twenty minutes." Angelina sighed.

"Thanks." I hung up the phone and began pacing around the living room. _Pregnant. Mother. Baby. Family._ The four words repeated over and over in my head and I couldn't decide if I was more excited or scared. _Probably some of both._

Angelina let herself into the house, set down her shopping bag, and hugged me.

"Let's just get it over with." I sighed as I took the small box into the bathroom. I read the instructions twice before I finally took the test. When I finished, I set the stick on the counter by the sink and returned to the living room.

"We need to wait for five minutes." I said as I sat down next to Angelina.

"All right." She looked up at the clock.

"Would you like something to drink? I could make you a cup of tea or something."

"No thanks."

Even though we only had to wait five minutes, it felt like we waited five hours instead. Finally, the moment of truth came.

"Want me to come with you?" I nodded my head and Angelina gently took my hand and led me to the bathroom. I picked up the test and studied it carefully. _Positive._

"It's positive." I said slowly, my eyes becoming wider. Angelina's mouth dropped open.

"You have to tell Sodapop." She breathed.

"Tonight." I said quietly, more to myself than to her.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Angelina asked quietly.

"No. You have classes today, and I need a little time to myself." She nodded her head and turned to the door. "And don't tell anyone." I called after her.

"Honey, I'm home!" Soda called as he walked in. I giggled slightly as I took dinner out of the oven.

"Just in time too. I just took the eggplant parmesan out of the oven."

"Smells good." Sodapop hugged me from behind and kissed my temple. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes." I said simply.

"Good. I'm going to change and then we can eat, all right?" I nodded my head as Soda released me and ran upstairs.

"Jennifer? What's this?" I smiled to myself, knowing he had found the pregnancy test on our dresser.

"I don't know honey. What is it?" I called, playing dumb.

Sodapop came downstairs shirtless with the test in his hand and set it on the counter in front of me.

"I - I'm pregnant." I said quietly.

"What?"

"We're going to be parents." I said slightly louder. Sodapop pulled me into a bone crushing hug and spun me around the kitchen.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Sodapop nearly ran me over trying to get to the phone.

"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to push him into the armchair.

"I have to tell Darry." He nearly yelled at me. He lost his balance and I managed to get him seated.

"No you don't. We shouldn't tell anyone until three months."

"Ugh. Fine." He looked at me with puppy eyes got back up I gently kissed his lips. He pulled me into his lap and one of his hands wandered down to my stomach and rested there. "I'm going to be a daddy." He said softly, his voice cracking a bit. "I love you both."


	8. Merry Christmas!

**December 24, 1969**

Jennifer POV

"Merry Christmas!" I hugged my brothers-in-law and hung their coats in the closet. I returned to the kitchen with the girls and could see the guys in the living room watching television.

"How are you feeling?" Angelina whispered to me.

"Pretty good." I whispered back. I pulled the Christmas ham out of the oven and set it on the counter, right next to my vegetarian pasta. Angelina finished mashing the garlic and Parmesan potatoes, and Rachel poured the cooked carrots out of the pot and into a big serving dish. Emma set a pile of plates and silverware one one end of the counter, so we could serve ourselves.

"Dinner's ready." I called. The guys slowly got up and Soda turned off the television.

Two-Bit went straight over to the food.

"Wash your hands first." Angelina said, her back to Two-Bit.

"Fine, Mom." Two-Bit groaned. "Starve me." Angelina rolled her eyes as she took her apron off.

"You'd think by now he would have grown up." She sighed, shaking her head.

"It's a wonder that I still tolerate him." Emma laughed.

The boys returned and lined up to get their food. Dinner was loud, as always. Everyone was in such a good mood and it had been a while since the whole gang got together like this.

After dinner, the girls and I returned to the kitchen to wash dishes while the guys all sat down in the family room and opened a bottle of wine.

"Do you want a glass of wine, girls?" Darry called, mostly to me and Angelina.

"I'll just take a sip from Johnny's." Angelina called back. "No use in dirtying another glass."

"All right. What about you, Jennifer?"

"I think I'll pass on this one." I said quietly. Usually if there was a bottle of wine open, I almost always had a glass, so this was probably odd behavior to everyone.

"All right." Darry said uncertainly.

Once the leftovers were safely in the fridge, and all the dishes were put away, the girls and I went into the living room and sat with our significant others. I rested my head on Sodapop's shoulder and watched as everyone opened their presents.

"We saved the best presents for last, so if you guys will sit tight for a few minutes we shall be back." Soda said as he and I got off the couch and went to our bedroom. We returned with a garbage bag full of large wrapped boxes, and began distributing them throughout the group. Everyone shook the boxes and tried to guess what could be inside. I lightly swatted away Two-Bit's hand when he tried to open his prematurely.

"You can open them now." I instructed. The gang tore into their boxes and quickly became confused when they were met with an assortment of pacifiers, baby bottles, and diapers. There was a long minute of silence as everyone tried to figure out what was going on.

"Why does that say 'I have the best Aunt'?" Johnny asked taking Angelina's gift. She looked over at me but said nothing. I glanced at Darry, who was holding a pacifier in one hand and a onesie that said 'You can't beat me, I got a cool uncle'. It was hard to describe the expression because it was so mixed.

"Is Jennifer pregnant?" He asked softly, staring at me and his brother.

"Yes." Sodapop beamed, placing his hand on my small baby bump.

Emma simply stared at me. "Seriously?" I nodded. She continued to stare at me, not showing much emotion. Rachel got up and sprinted over to give me a huge hug and nearly knocked me over. Sodapop placed one hand on my back to steady me.

"Wait, you did it?" Two-Bit asked completely oblivious. Emma turned to him and picked up a box and whomped him over the head.

"You dolt! They're having a baby!"

"Great job Sodapop." Steve said smiling. He held out his fist and Sodapop bumped him.

Dally simply threw the baby stuff back into the box, and smiled at us. He gave Soda a thumbs up when he thought I wasn't looking.

"I'll babysit for you guys whenever you need it." Johnny offered.

"Thanks. We might just take you up on that." I said smiling.

"We're going to be uncles." Ponyboy said, looking like he was about to cry. He studied the onesie we bought for him that said 'I have the smartest uncle ever'.

"Oh come here you guys." I said as Soda and I opened our arms for a hug. Everyone walked over and joined in our group hug, even Dally. Everyone began congratulating me and Sodapop and Angelina led a toast for us.

"Congratulations to Jennifer and Sodapop. We knew some day they would have a kid, just maybe not so soon." Everyone laughed. "We also know that their lives will be filled with laughter and tears, but they will always have each other and their family."

Afterwards I took out the ice cream, bubble gum and blue moon flavored, and dished it out.

Sodapop and I sat down on the loveseat.

"Hey, there's something over your head." Dally said. Sodapop and I looked up to find mistletoe attached to fishing line over our heads. We laughed and shared a kiss.

"Steve, toss some of that over here." Two-Bit said as he looked at Emma and puckered up. She put her hand over his mouth and he turned away disappointedly. We all burst into laughter, happy to enjoy this night together .


	9. They're Here

**June 29, 1970**

Jennifer POV

"Good night beautiful, and good night my babies." Sodapop said as he kissed my lips and then kissed my stomach twice. He rolled over and rested his hand on my stomach.

"They want out." He looked at me and bit his lip. I could feel two sets of legs kicking me.

"I know and they will be any day now." Sodapop nodded as he rubbed his hand on my belly. "Daddy can't wait to see you." He cooed. I felt a sharp pain and I gasped. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." I breathed as the pain left, wondering if I was in labor. I laid in bed for a few hours, still having the pain wash over me and then subside as quickly as it came, before I began feeling the pain every few minutes. I didn't want to wake Soda if I didn't have to yet; I could handle the beginning of labor on my own. I took a slow breath out as the pain subsided. I got out of bed and walked around the room, eventually realizing I was going to have to wake Sodapop.

"Soda?" I whispered, sitting down on the edge of the bed. I heard him mumble sleepily before rolling over and turning on the light.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, staring at me.

"I think I'm in labor." I gasped as another sharp pain overcame me. He jerked into a sitting position.

"You're having the babies? Now?"

"Not now, but I've been having contractions."

"I'm going to call Darry and Angelina. They would know what to do." Sodapop said as he sprinted out of the bedroom. I slowly followed him, grabbing onto the wall for support. I sat on the couch and watched as Sodapop dialed the phone.

"Hello? Angelina? Sorry to call you so late at night . . . We think Jennifer just went into labor . . . She seems alright, but could you come over? . . . All right. See you soon." His voice sounded slightly panicked, and he kept running his fingers through his hair, a common Curtis brother trait. He hung up the phone and dialed another number.

"Darry . . . Sorry . . . Jennifer went into labor . . ." I groaned slightly as another contraction hit me. Sodapop looked over at me with a pained expression and the panic in his voice became more evident. "She just had another contraction . . . I don't know, man . . . Yes . . . Thank you. Talk to you in a bit." He quickly put the phone down and sat down on the couch next to me, grasping my hand in his.

"Jennifer?" I heard Angelina call from the door.

"In the living room." Sodapop called back. Angelina rushed into the room and knelt on the floor in front of me.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Angelina hugged me and then took my other hand and sat on the other side of me.

"Did you call a doctor?" She asked Sodapop after I had another contraction.

"No." He said sheepishly. "It never crossed my mind."

"Well, next time just remember to call a doctor first instead of me. But then again, you won't be as panicked next time."

"I'll be right back." Sodapop said as he gently kissed my temple.

I could hear a heavy set of footsteps enter the house, and knew immediately that Darry had arrived.

"Hello?"

"In the living room." I squeaked, midway through a contraction. Angelina rubbed my arm gently. Darry entered the living room wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, basically matching Angelina.

"Where's Soda?" He asked looking around.

"Calling the doctor." Angelina said, fixing my hair into a messy bun.

"Good." He said turning to me. "You hanging in there, girl?"

"Yeah." I gasped. Sodapop came back into the room and Darry put his arm over his shoulder.

"The doctor said to wait until the contractions are consistently less than four minutes apart or until Jennifer's water breaks before taking her to the hospital."

"Soda, go get Steve. I think you need some moral support." I said quietly.

"Are you sure?" Sodapop glanced between me and the front hall. I nodded my head. "I'll be fast. I promise." Sodapop was already sprinting out the door, only in his boxers and a white undershirt. In less than five minutes, he returned with a very sleepy and confused Steve.

"Wassup?" He asked tiredly.

"Oh nothing, just in labor." I teased.

"That's nice . . . Wait, what? You're having the babies?" Steve immediately woke up after that.

"Yes." I said curtly, another contraction washed over me, more painful than the ones before. I felt the couch cushion dampen under me. "Uh guys? My water just broke." Sodapop ran both his hands through his hair again, his face paling.

"We need to get her to the hospital." Angelina said as she and Darry helped me up. "Go get a couple towels for Jennifer to sit on the car ride there." She instructed Sodapop. He nodded and raced to the linen closet and returned with a few old towels.

"I'll drive." Steve quickly offered taking Sodapop's keys off the hook. We all got into the car, Steve and Darry in the front and Soda, me, and Angelina in the back. Every few seconds someone asked me if I was all right. After what seemed like ages, we made it to the hospital.

It wasn't long after I was admitted that a nurse came in to check my progress.

"Two centimeters dilated." She murmured as she wrote something down in the clipboard.

"Is that good?" Sodapop asked, gripping my hand as I breathed through another contraction.

"It's a start, we need her ten centimeters dilated before we can deliver the babies though." Sodapop nodded as the nurse left the room.

Sodapop, Angelina, and I stayed in the room ten hours, with a nurse checking in on me every half hour. Steve and Darry would occasionally make an appearance to bring Angelina and Sodapop food, but they left rather quickly when I had a particularly painful contraction.

Finally, my doctor declared that it was time to bring the babies into the world.

"Okay, Mrs. Curtis, we're ready to start pushing. What we're going to do is have you push for ten seconds on the next contraction, then relax. We want to try to do that at least three times per contraction. All right?" The nurse said to me. I nodded my head, grasping Sodapop's hand for support. Angelina gently rubbed my shoulder.

"Are you ready?" He asked me.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I looked over and Angelina smiled at me reassuringly.

"You got this. Now go." She said, predicting my contraction.

I began pushing at the next contraction, completely focused on the thought that I would soon meet my children for the first time. The pain was completely indescribable. I could hear Sodapop gasp as I gripped his hand with each contraction.

"Baby A has been born, and he looks healthy." A nurse said as she set my son on my chest.

I glanced over at Angelina. "Took about an hour." She said, anticipating my question. I nodded and looked down at my child.

"He's so perfect." I whispered to Soda.

"Just like his mommy." He whispered back to me. "Welcome to the world Patrick Thomas Curtis." He said to him, placing his finger on top of his tiny hand. Soda looked down at his son again with a few tears in his eyes.

"Dad, do you want to cut the cord?" Sodapop got up from his crouched position by my head, followed the nurse's instructions to cut the cord, and quickly returned to his previous spot.

"Okay Jennifer, just a few more pushes and Baby B will be out." Another nurse said. After about ten more minutes, Mary Alice was brought into the world and was placed on my chest right next to her brother. We had decided early on in the pregnancy that if we had a girl she would have Soda's mom's name. Sodapop cut her cord as well, and Angelina sighed in awe as she saw both my babies lying on my chest. Sodapop and I had a few minutes with our children before they were whisked away to be cleaned up and be checked on. Sodapop brought me my nightgown to change into. After I washed up a little bit myself, a nurse brought Patrick and Mary back to the room. They were wrapped in blue and pink blankets, respectively.

"Here you are, Daddy." She said brightly as she gave Sodapop both babies. He held each in one arm, and looked to be on the brink of tears. "Would you guys like me to allow your families in?"

"Yes please." I said as she left the room. Shortly after, Darry and Steve came into the room.

"How are you doing?" Darry asked me.

"I'm fine." I said tiredly.

"She did wonderfully." Sodapop beamed, looking down at his son and daughter.

"May I?" Angelina reached her arms towards the babies.

"Of course." Angelina gently took Mary out of Sodapop's arms and sat down. She softly began humming a lullaby as she gazed down at Mary, rocking her gently.

"Here Darry." Sodapop said as he gave Patrick to Darry to hold. It warmed my heart to see such a big man holding such a small fragile baby.

"Last time I held a baby was when Ponyboy was born." He said quietly, tearing up slightly. I smiled gently as Angelina brought Mary over to me.

"Steve, do you want to hold Mary?" He looked to Sodapop who smiled encouragingly then held out his arms for the baby. I gently placed her in his arms and watched as he stared down at her in awe.

"She's so tiny." He breathed. He held her for another minute before handing her off to Soda.

"Mom and the babies need to get some rest. You can see them again tomorrow." A nurse said as she poked her head in. Steve immediately left the room, and Angelina followed moments later after squeezing my hand and hugging Sodapop. Darry placed Patrick in my arms, and gave Sodapop a solid thump on the back as he left the room.

"Congrats you two." He called before closing the door.

"They're actually here." Sodapop breathed as he put Mary in her cradle.

"Yes they are, and they are absolutely perfect." I yawned, already drifting off to sleep.

" Good night my love." I said quietly, kissing Patrick on the forehead before handing him to Soda.

"Good night Jennifer." Soda said as he kissed my forehead. Before I knew it, I was drifting off to sleep.


	10. A Picnic and Fireworks

**July 4, 1970**

Darry POV

"You look like you could use some help." I looked up from the food I was making to find Angelina standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

"Help would be nice." I replied. Angelina smiled and walked over, already pushing her sleeves up.

"What do you need me to do?"

"You could frost the cake for me. I'll slice up fruit and mix the potato salad together." I said, gesturing to the cake. Angelina nodded, grabbed a knife, and picked up the bowl of frosting.

"This is enough to frost three cakes." She commented, stirring the frosting up again.

"I know. The boys like a lot of icing on their cake." Angelina laughed as she began frosting. "So how long have you been over here?"

"Not very long. I drove Em, Rachel, and myself up here maybe ten minutes ago. We went straight to the backyard and said hi to everyone. I asked where you were and they said you were working, so I decided to come in and help you out. I'm surprised no one else offered to help."

"They didn't help me pack the cars when we went camping. What makes you think they'd help me cook?" I laughed. She laughed along and returned to the frosting.

"Those guys though." Angelina laughed again as she smoothed out the frosting on side of the cake. "I don't get why they wouldn't help you."

"Well most of them lived by 'every man for himself' unless they were in serious trouble."

"Like the rumbles?" She asked, finishing off the frosting from the bowl.

"Yeah. Especially with the rumbles. I'm just glad that time seems behind us." I watched as Angelina added decorative swirls onto the frosting with the knife. She delicately maneuvered the frosting and even added some designs looking like fireworks. _Very appropriate for the occasion._ "And thanks for stopping by and being our nurse all those times. Johnny probably never would have let me stitch that one cut all the way up his forearm." She smiled and licked the frosting off the knife.

"Well I couldn't just let him bleed out. But I never could handle dealing with the gang on a regular basis. They know if they get out of line you'll tie them in a knot." She responded putting the bowl and knife in the sink. "You're such a great leader for them."

"Thank you Angelina." I finished draining the potatoes and put them in the bowl with the other ingredients. I capped the bowl, shook up the contents, and put everything in the fridge. I heard a baby cry and a combination of shushing and laughing.

"No." I look back over at Angelina, her face shocked.

"What?"

"Did I just hear a baby screaming?" Her voice sounded irritated but her expression registered confusion.

"Yeah, I heard it too. Jennifer and Sodapop said they'd come over and bring the twins with them." I said nonchalantly as I took out some fruit from the refrigerator.

"What? Why are they here?" _That's definitely an irritated tone._ She looked in the direction of the back yard as we heard childish giggling coming from one of the guys.

"They wanted to introduce everyone to the babies." I explained, grabbing another knife for the fruit.

"They're five days old! You don't bring a five day old to a party." She huffed slightly behind me. I could almost see the hair blowing out of her face from the force of her breath.

"You think she's crazy don't you?" I half laughed as I faced her again.

"I've thought she's been crazy ever since we came to Tulsa. I just still need to accept that it has no bounds." I laughed as Angelina shook her head at the thought of Jennifer. "But I love her." She sighed as I placed the fruit on the table.

"Yeah, I don't know how many times I've had to tell Sodapop to keep his clothes on." Angelina tried to suppress a laugh but eventually couldn't contain it. Her laugh became contagious and I couldn't help but join in. We eventually calmed down and got back to preparing the food.

"Wow. I'm so glad I don't have a brother. I thought dealing with Jennifer's antics, Emma eating every speck of food in the house, and Rachel going AWOL to read or write was a hassle."

"Sodapop's not too bad. I'm just glad Ponyboy's wised up a bit. He isn't so absentminded as he's used to be. He almost forgot his own birthday once." I chuckled slightly and Angelina nodded her head. We finished preparing the fruit just as Jennifer poked her head into the kitchen.

"Hello family!" She called, walking in and hugging Angelina. "How are you doing?"

"I think the better question is, how are you and the babies doing?" She asked, not as irritated as before.

"Fabulous." She grinned letting go of Angelina. "Everyone loves them and they're doing great. Sodapop was just thinking we should head down to the park to get a good spot for the fireworks." I looked over at the clock and nodded my head.

"All right. Do you mind helping me get everything packed for the walk?" I asked Angelina as Jennifer returned to her bundles.

"Not at all." We quickly got everything packed and I went to the backyard to get everyone.

"We should get moving soon." I announced to the gang. Jennifer smiled as she finished strapping the twins in their double stroller. "Everyone has to carry something." I said. All the guys walked into the kitchen and grabbed the various plates and bowls of food. I peeked into the stroller at my niece and nephew. "Hi you two." I smiled and gently rubbed their cheeks with my free hand.

Once we arrived at the park Angelina rolled out our old picnic blanket we've been using the past five years. Each gang member set down their item and Angelina rearranged everything so it was easily accessible. Everyone ate until all that was left was one corn cob and a bit of potato salad.

"How long until the fireworks?" Dally yawned as we bagged up the trash.

"Not for another fifteen minutes." Johnny said looking over at Angelina's watch.

"Wake me up when that happens." He said walking over to a nearby tree.

"I don't know Dally, if the fireworks themselves don't wake you up, nothing will." Two-Bit said causing almost everyone to snicker. Dally turned around and flipped us all off before continue his walk. He ended up settling down by a tree and we all went back to socializing. I noticed Rachel get up and beckon Ponyboy to follow but the babies soon distracted me.

"Who's a little precious baby? You are!" Jennifer cooed at Patrick.

"Aren't they going to get hungry Jennifer?" Angelina asked, looking at the babies.

"Well..."

"Get away from me with those grubby little fingers!" Emma yelled from across the park. We all look up at Emma running like hell as Two-Bit chased after her, his hands covered with mud.

"You can't run forever!" He laughed as she dodged him.

"YOU ARE NOT GOING TO TOUCH ME!" She screamed as she ran past a tree, which Two-Bit subsequently ran into. He stumbled backwards and tripped on Dally's legs.

"What the hell Two-Bit?" He growled.

"Well maybe that knocked his brains in place so he won't be such an idiot." Emma said standing over him.

"Good luck with that. He's taken worse hits than that." Steve commented, nudging Sodapop and smiling. From what I could tell, he seemed fine. Dally tried to readjust himself against the tree but just sneered.

"It's starting to get dark babe. We should go home before the fireworks start." Sodapop said, buckling Mary into her seat.

"Yeah, we don't want them scared before bedtime." Jennifer nodded, handing Patrick off to Soda.

"Well good night you four." I said as Jennifer gave me and Steve a goodbye kiss.

"Happy Fourth of July everyone!" She called to everyone and they all waved back.

"I'll tell you if you missed anything." Steve said as he went to join to rest of the gang.

"Rachel? Ponyboy?" I looked back over at Angelina who looked at the tree, her hands on her hips. _What are they doing now?_ I got up and started walking. I followed her gaze and noticed two pairs of legs dangling from a branch. _Now this will be good._ "What are you doing?"

"Hanging around." Rachel responded, swinging her legs around so she now hung upside down. Angelina shook her head and Rachel got down with Ponyboy following.

"And you?" She asked, looking forward to his answer.

"Monkey see, monkey do." Ponyboy smiled and shrugged. As the words left his mouth, the first firework went off with a thunderous boom. Everyone, including myself, jumped as the colors seemed to rain down across the sky. We all stood in awe as the beautiful light show rained above us.

"God bless America!" I shouted, as I heard the National Anthem beginning to play in the distance.


	11. Lunch Break

**October 7, 1970**

Darry POV

"All right! Group D, time for your lunch. Be back by 1:45." The boss called through his megaphone. I put my gloves on the table by my tools and grabbed my jacket. It was blazing on the roof but I would get cold fast as I went to town.

"Darrell, you joining us?" Jack called as he and some other guys started walking.

"Naw. You go ahead." Jack waved goodbye and they went off. I headed toward town and spotted the diner. _Rover's_.

I opened the door and the bell chimed. The hostess smiled and took me to my regular booth. I glanced at the menu to see if there was anything new.

"Hello sir, welcome to _Rover's_. How are you doing today?" A chipper voice said next to me. I looked up at the waitress. I'd never seen her before. She appeared young, the apron band tied in the front and her shirt a little longer than the other ladies.

"I'm fine. Could I have a coffee, the Club Sandwich, and fries?" I said.

"I guess you've been here before." She giggled slightly.

"You could say that. What about you?"

"I just started working here this week."

"I thought the owner didn't hire anyone under twenty?"

"Well I just turned twenty-one. Plus I have family here so I could have started working even earlier." I smiled slightly at her confidence and she smiled back. "How did you know the age to apply?"

"I tried to get my first job here, but that was eight years ago."

"So you're twenty-seven now?

"Twenty-six."

"All righty then. So you'll have coffee, sandwich and fries. Will that be all?" She asked taking my menu.

"Yes, but it might help if you write it down." I said handing her the pad and pen she set on the table.

"Oh silly me." She said smiling. "By the way my name's Alexandra if you need anything else."

"Thanks. I'm Darrell by the way." I'm not sure why I introduced myself, but it felt necessary.

"You're welcome." She turned and headed to the kitchen, moving some strands of her blonde hair behind her ears.

I fiddled with my jacket slightly as I waited for Alexandra to return. I looked out the window at the wind blowing some loose papers near the ground. I heard someone walking and ice tumble in a glass. Before I knew it, I was wet and freezing.

"Oh my Lord, I'm so sorry!" Someone said behind me. I looked over at Alexandra shuffling through her apron and pulling out a handful of napkins while balancing her drink tray. I took off my soaking jacket and took some of the napkins.

"Oh it's fine." I replied, trying to wipe myself off.

"I guess that's one way to clean a table." She laughed, wiping the table with a rag. "You'll warm up soon. I started a fresh batch of coffee." I looked up and she smiled at me.

"Thanks." She finished serving the family near me and then came back with my coffee. Her eyes twinkled as she handed me my food and we talked a bit more about the happenings around the town.

"Here's your check." She looked at my shirt that was still wet. "Sorry again about that."

"It's no problem. I'll dry off at work." I said, disappointed I'd have to return to the flaming hot roof.

"All right then. Have a good day." I took out my wallet as I calculated the tip. _$6.30 so $1.25 regular tip_. I set out two bucks for her. I picked up my jacket and started out for the door.

"See you tomorrow Darrell?" Alexandra asked behind me. I turned around as I put my hand on the door and she smiled.

"Probably." I smiled back, the door ringing as I pushed it open.


	12. Lunch Date

**December 15, 1971**

Darry POV

The bells tinkled as I walked into Rovers. The hostess nodded at me and I took my seat at my usual booth.

"Hello, Darrell." Alexandra said as she came over to my table.

"Hello Alexandra." I replied. She slid in the booth right across from me with a sandwich, soup, and coke.

"You can call me Allie." Alexandra told me.

"And basically all my friends and family refer to me as Darry." I said, hoping she would get the hint.

"Darry? How did you get that nickname?" Allie laughed lightly.

"My youngest brother had a hard time saying Darrell when he was little, so he shortened it to Darry, and it just stuck." I shrugged. "So what are you doing here anyway?"

"I took my lunch break so we could eat together." Allie explained, brushing her bangs out of her face.

"Together?" Allie smiled and took a sip of her coke as a waitress came, setting food in front of me. _Coffee, Club Sandwich, and fries._ I look up at Allie, her smile even wider.

"You've been ordering that for weeks now Darry. I have your order memorized." She giggled. I nodded my head and ate one of the fries.

"So do you have any siblings?" I asked nonchalantly.

"I have three older brothers."

"Three?"

"Yeah." She shrugged and blew on her soup. "What about you?"

"I have two younger brothers. One got married about two years ago and now I have a niece and nephew."

"That's so sweet. My one brother just got engaged." Allie replied.

"Good for him."

"I'm very excited for him."

"I can imagine." We continued talking for about half an hour and split a slice of warm apple pie with a scoop of ice cream.

"Oh drat. Half an hour isn't enough time to talk." Allie sighed, starting to pick up the dishes.

"It really isn't." I agreed pulling out some bills for my meal. An old receipt fell on the table, blank side up, and I paused.

"Did I forget a pen again?" Allie asked looking over.

"No. Everything's fine." I said trying not to scribble on the crumpled sheet of paper. _549-8…_ I folded the paper, putting the bills on top of my new receipt and the old one underneath. Allie walked over to the register and started counting the change for the meal. She unfolded the paper and glanced over, her shoulders bouncing slightly.

"Thanks for the date." She said, handing me the change.

"Of course." I winked, taking my jacket. She giggled again, blushing slightly. I smiled and turned out of the diner, the only thing in my mind being Allie's cute giggle.


	13. Answer Me One Thing

**March 8, 1972**

Angelina POV

"All right kids. Have a wonderful weekend!" I said as the children packed their bags and rushed out of the building to meet their parents.

I sat down at my desk and began checking the worksheets that the children did earlier that day. After about fifteen minutes, there was a knock at my classroom door.

"Come in." I called, setting down my pen. I looked up and saw Johnny in the doorway. "Hey, Johnny. What are you doing here?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner with me." He said, entering the room.

"That sounds great."

"Good." He said simply. "Do you want some help?"

"If you have the time."

"I always have time for you." He said walking in front of my desk. _That's Johnny. Simple, sweet, and caring._

"Okay then." I smiled and gestured to some science papers. He took the stack and sat down at a desk. We checked and graded in silence for half an hour before we were finished, just enjoying each other.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked, setting his pile on my desk.

"I have to finish my lesson plans for next week. I'll see you later." I said as I pushed up my glasses and opened my plan book.

"Ok, see you tonight." He said quietly and kissed my forehead.

"See you then."

"Angelina? Johnny called. He told me to tell you to dress nicely for dinner." Emma said from the kitchen as I walked in the house.

"I always dress nicely." I responded setting my bag on the couch.

"Then dress nicer than usual." _That's odd, I rarely ever have to dress up when Johnny and I go out like this..._

"All right." I went to my bedroom and picked out my tea-length lavender dress that tied around the back with a black ribbon and quickly went to the bathroom to change and touch up my makeup.

"Johnny's here." Emma called. I heard him knock on the door and the screen close as he stepped in. I entered the living room and found Johnny wearing dress pants and buttoned shirt with a graphite grey tie.

"Hey." I said as he pecked me on the lips.

"You look nice." He gestured to my outfit. I did a small turn for him and we both laughed.

"So do you." I returned and he smiled back. He offered his arm to me and we walked outside. Jennifer and Soda's car was parked in the driveway.

"Sodapop said I could borrow it tonight." Johnny explained simply. I nodded my head as we walked down the steps. Johnny opened the passenger door for me and waited until I was situated before he closed the door and ran over to his side.

"I have reservations at La Bella Luna." Johnny told me as he drove through town. _La Bella Luna? That's the Italian restaurant Sodapop took Jennifer to for their anniversary this past fall._ I glanced over, confused, but looked back to the road.

"Sounds good." I said with a smile. _And expensive. Why isn't he taking me to the diner like usual?_

We pulled into the parking lot, and Johnny opened the door for me and escorted me into the restaurant.

"I have a reservation." Johnny told the host.

"Could you tell me the name it's under?"

"Cade." The host looked down at his binder.

"Ah yes, right this way." We followed him to a secluded corner of the restaurant and he handed us each a menu.

"Good evening Miss and Mister, I am Antonio and will be taking care of you. Would you like to start this evening with something to drink?" Our waiter asked us after a few minutes.

"Could we each have a glass of Pinot Grigio?" Johnny asked before I could open my mouth to say that water was fine. Antonio nodded his head and left to fetch a bottle of wine.

"Johnny, I'm fine with just water. You didn't have to do that." I whispered to him.

"Just enjoy it Angelina." Johnny said with a sweet smile as Antonio returned. I smiled back and looked down at my menu.

"Some for you, and some for the young lady." He said as he poured the wine. "Are you ready to order?"

"I'll have the chicken fettuccine." I said.

"And I'll have the tortellini." Johnny said.

"Is that all?" Antonio asked, taking our menus

"Yes." I said simply. Antonio turned around and left toward the kitchen.

"So how was your day?" Johnny asked me, resting his hand on mine.

"Well when I asked my students what the states of matter were, one of the girls answered 'it's a country like the United States.'" Johnny chuckled as he took a sip of his wine.

"Yeah, I was watching Mary and Patrick for a few hours today. I left them alone for two minutes so I could use the restroom, and when I came back, they were both covered in paint." I giggled slightly.

"I'm sure Jennifer wasn't happy."

"I gave them both baths before she could find out, but she will manage to find out eventually. All moms do." We both laughed and sipped on our wine.

"So how's work?"

"Same old same old. But they say I'm one of the best they've had in a while." Johnny said as Antonio set down some bread.

"That's great. It's always nice to know you're appreciated." A few minutes later Antonio came with our dinner and we ate in peaceful silence.

"So do you want to go to The Tulsa Theater?" Johnny asked as we finished our food. _That's the fancy theater down the street, we've never gone there other than to Jennifer and Sodapop's wedding reception._

"Why would we go there?"

"I have two tickets for My Fair Lady. I know how much you love theatre." I smiled but paused.

"You really want to see that?"

"Well," he said twirling the wine glass in his hand, "I thought you'd enjoy it."

"Johnny, that's sweet of you, but what do you actually want to do? For some reason I can't picture you jumping for joy at sitting in a theater for a few hours and watch Eliza Doolittle become a lady." I said quietly.

"I want to do whatever you want to do." He responded, replacing his hand on top of mine. I thought for a moment about where we could go.

"Let's just go to the lot and watch the stars." I told him. He immediately smiled and nodded his head.

"Sounds good to me." He motioned for Antonio to bring us the check, and he put a couple twenties in the folder to cover the bill and the tip before we left.

As soon as we got into the car, Johnny took off his tie and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt, looking more like himself.

"Better?" I asked him.

"Much." He smiled as he drove down to the lot. We got out of the car and sat on the hood together, just gazing at the stars. The moon was full and lit up the lot in a gentle glow.

"I love this." I sighed, leaning into Johnny.

"Me too." He sighed sitting up. I started to get up to but he pushed me back down as he slid off the hood. He walked to the back of the car and disappeared as he ducked behind the trunk. He returned to the front with his hands behind his back, his face as calm as the night. He stood in front of the hood and knelt down.

"Angelina, will you answer me one question?"

"Of course Johnny." I said leaning forward.

"Will you marry me?" He pulled his hands from behind him, revealing a ring box with a simple silver band inside. I leaned in for a closer look, but the small box slipped through his fingers.

"Dang it, ¿dondé está?" He mumbled under his breath. "Where did that box go?"

"It doesn't matter." I told him as jumped down from the car and placed my hands on his. "Ring or no, I would love to marry you." He turned towards me and leaned in to place a gentle kiss on my lips. We sat for a moment, staring into each other's eyes.

I moved my right hand back from Johnny's and felt something on the ground. I reached back and grabbed a small box then held it between me and Johnny. He took the box from me and removed the ring. I held out my hand and he slid the smooth silver band over my finger. He held my hand in his, the band shimmering in the moonlight.

"Te amo." He whispered, resting his forehead on mine

"Te amo también." _I love you too. Now and always._


	14. New Girl

**May 18, 1972**

Allie POV

 _"It's about time you meet my family." Darry said, wrapping his arm around me._

 _"I'm up for that." I said softly, looking into his piercing blue eyes._

 _"My sister-in-law is planning a movie night next weekend for everyone. Would you like to come with me?"_

 _"Sure."_

"You never said your family was so big." I counted five cars lining the street in front of a house. I have no problem with big families, I come from one. I just didn't expect to meet everyone at once.

"We're not all related by blood, but we've been friends for so long that we may as we'll be family." Darry parked in the driveway and I took a deep breath before getting out of the car. As we approached the door, I heard laughter inside and some babies babbling. "Ready?" I nodded and Darry opened the door for me.

"Hi. You must be Allie." A young man holding a baby said. "I'm Sodapop, Darry's brother. And this is my son, Patrick."

"Sodapop? That's an unusual name." I commented, smiling at him. _I like it._

"We have a younger brother named Ponyboy." Sodapop laughed. I stepped to the side and Darry greeted his brother and nephew. He took my hand as he finished talking.

"Don't be shy. No one bites, except maybe the babies." Darry murmured in my ear. I smirked at him as he straightened back up. _I'm a waitress Big Man, I can handle a little party._ He gently smiled back and I squeezed his hand. I walked into the living room and a large assortment of people sprawled around the room. There were two girls sitting on the couch who looked like they were related. One of them was holding a baby girl.

"Hi. I'm Jennifer and this is Mary." She said getting up and coming over to me. Jennifer gave me a one armed hug and Mary reached and grabbed some of my hair. "Mary, that's not polite." Jennifer scolded, trying to loosen Mary's grasp.

"It's fine." I laughed. "She doesn't know better." I gently poked Mary's nose and she burst into a fit of giggles.

"This is my sister, Angelina, and her fiancé, Johnny." Jennifer said gesturing to the second girl who had a wide smile. The boy next to her waved as she stood up.

"It's great to have another girl join the gang." She said smiling.

"I know what you mean. I'm the only girl in my family." Darry's came up next to me and snaked his arm around my waist. I tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear. A girl and boy looking my age walked out of what I presumed was the kitchen.

"That's my youngest brother Ponyboy and his girlfriend, Rachel." Darry explained. I nodded my head, trying to keep everyone I've met straight.

"Emma and Two-Bit are in the kitchen grabbing snacks." Jennifer explained. Right after she said that, a tall woman walked out of the room carrying several different snacks and a man walked behind her. I could tell from the look on her face that he was trying to annoy her.

"Darry has a girlfriend!" Two-Bit chanted. Emma whacked him over the head and he quieted rather quickly.

"Hey, Steve, come on in!" Sodapop said. Soda was followed by a man with dark hair that was very heavily greased. _That must be Steve._

"Okay. Make yourselves comfortable, the marathon should start in a few minutes." Jennifer flipped on the television and we all began claiming snacks and getting seated. Jennifer and Sodapop then carried the babies upstairs I assumed to be put to bed.

"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call 'The Twilight Zone'."

I leaned into Darry and rested my head on his arm as we watched the show together.

I chuckled to myself at the ridiculous plots and how unrealistic everything was.

"Ah!" We all jumped slightly at Jennifer's quiet scream and she nuzzled herself into Sodapop's shoulder. Angelina and Johnny were holding hands and sharing popcorn, occasionally cuddling into each other when the creepy parts came on.

The marathon ended around eleven and my back cracked as I stood up and stretched.

"Ready to go?" Darry asked softly. I nodded and we made our way to the door with Jennifer and Sodapop following.

"It was so nice to meet you!" Jennifer said, hugging me once again.

"You too." I responded as Darry grabbed my hand and led me through the door.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Darry asked as we got in his truck.

"Not at all. They're all so kind. But the girls aren't from around here, are they? They have northern accents."

"They moved here in 1965." Darry explained simply.

"From?"

"Chicago. They were runaways."

Darry and I drove in near silence the rest of the way to my apartment, and he walked me up the two flights of stairs to my door.

"I'll see you soon." He said, bending slightly as I went up on my toes to kiss him.

"Good night darling." I unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Good night." Darry responded as I shut and locked the door.


	15. Meet The Family

**September 23, 1972**

Darry POV

I tried to run out of the bathroom as the phone started to ring. It stopped ringing by the time I picked it up.

"Damn it." I cussed under my breath. I put it on the receiver and finished putting my shirt on. As I buttoned up to the top it rang again.

"Hello?"

"Hey darling! You getting ready?" Allie asked on the other end.

"Yup. You still want to meet up for dinner right?" We've had to move this a few times already because of her family and I didn't want to do that again.

"Definitely." I smiled as she continued. "My family would just like to meet you before we go."

"So do you want me to be by your house earlier?"

"That would be great if you could."

"All right. See you then."

I pulled up and double checked the address on the mailbox. _This is it._ I turned off the engine and stepped out. I knocked on the door.

"Alex! He's here!" _I thought Allie had only three brothers. Who's Alex?_ The door opened and Allie smiled, wearing a peach dress and flats. A man of equal height to me with brunette hair stood next to her with his arms crossed. He had a strong build and glared as I walked through the threshold. Next to him were two younger men whose arms were also crossed. One of the boys had ginger hair and shuffled slightly as he looked me up and down. _That must be Mark._ The last one stared at me like a statue.

"Ah, here he is. Welcome Darrell. I've heard wondrous things about you from my Alex." Allie's father walked into the room. He was stout but still well built and his hair was greying. I looked at Allie who rolled her eyes at her father.

"Alex?" I asked as Mr. Jackson led me to their living room.

"Only we can call her that." Mark asserted, trying to act tough. I looked over at him and he quickly sat down.

"It's more of a family nickname." Allie explained sitting next to me.

"So Darrell, how much has Alex told you about us?" Mr. Jackson asked sitting across from me. The big one looked over at me expectantly.

"Well she's told me that your name is Paul the second and that the eldest brother is Paul the third."

"That's me." The big one said holding out his hand. I shook it firmly and he seemed to smile. "I'm eight years older than Alex. I just opened the new business on Main Street."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"I'm Andrew." The third said, stepping up and shaking my hand.

"He's my second oldest brother. We always joke that he was destined to be a politician." She joked and everyone smiled.

"Yeah, I'm visiting from law school."

"And you just be Mark." I stated, looking at the fidgeting ginger and he nodded his head. "But Alex- Allie," I corrected myself and Paul III's smile came back, "has never mentioned her mother." The brothers looked between Allie and their father until Allie stood up.

"My mother passed away when I was twelve."

"She was diagnosed with uterine cancer two years earlier." I looked back at Allie as her father continued. "She underwent a year of chemotherapy but it wasn't treating the cancer enough." A small tear went down her cheek but she didn't wipe it away.

"The only other option was surgery." Andrew explained.

"We weren't low on funds on a regular basis, but it was too much for us to put down." Mr. Jackson continued. "The doctors also said that Martha only had a twenty percent chance of the cancer being completely eradicated and a thirty percent chance of her living after the procedure."

"Our mother chose not to go through and the doctor prescribed her enough pain medication to last only a few months." Mark said, choking slightly.

"But she lived past that." Allie sighed smiling. "And she never complained about her state. All she wanted to know was how our lives were."

"She passed away in our room with us around her. It was ten years this summer." Mr. Jackson finished. All was still in the house as Allie rested her head against me. I awkwardly put my arm around her and she nuzzled in slightly.

"I'm sorry."

"No need son." Mr. Jackson said dismissing my apology. "She's not truly gone. Martha is always right here." He placed his hand over his heart and patted his chest. I smiled as he said that and thought of my parents.

"I should be the one apologizing. I should have told you sooner about my mother." Allie said.

"It's no problem. You told me when you were ready." I swallowed slightly. "I lost my parents when I was nineteen." Allie looked up at me, her eyes begging to know what happened.

"How?" Allie asked quietly.

"They were driving home from a party and their car stalled on the train tracks as a train was coming." I said, looking down at my lap. "The train hit them."

"That's terrible." Allie said wrapping me in a hug. We all sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Well what are we doing moping about?" Mr. Jackson announced standing up. "Here we are talking of a terrible past when right now there's a date that should be starting soon." Allie covered her face as her father beckoned us to stand up escorted us to the door.

"Have a good time Alex." Mark said waving at us.

"I will." She smiled back.

"And just make sure she calls me when you drop her off at her place." Mr. Jackson said.

"I will Mr. Jackson."

"Please, call me Paul, or Senior whenever my son's around." He said patting my arm. I nodded as Paul III came up and shook my hand again.

"Take care, Darrell."

"I will."


	16. Girls' Night Out

**April 5, 1973**

Angelina POV

"We're going out." Jennifer announced as I walked in from work.

"What? Why are you here?"

"As your matron of honor it's my responsibility to plan your bachelorette party." Jennifer explained, thrusting a bag of clothing at me. "Wear this." _Oh dear._ I went to my bedroom and took out the clothes. _Oh dear. What does she have planned?_ I put on the knee length black pencil skirt and sparkly blue top. There were black platform stilettos in the bag. _Nope. Not happening._ I grabbed my own pair of black pumps and slipped them on before grabbing my black purse. When I walked back in the living room, Jennifer was wearing a matching outfit to mine, only with a pink top and the black platforms. _She is going to kill herself in those shoes._ Rachel was wearing a green top and accessorized with her black leather jacket. Emma got a silver top and decided to wear flats.

"This skirt." She said, disgusted.

"I'm surprised you put it on." Rachel remarked. "You excited?" She said, turning to me. "You'll be a married woman in three days." I smiled and sighed.

"Ready to go?" Jennifer asked excitedly.

"Go where, exactly?" I asked warily.

"We're going to a club and having fun." Jennifer stated. _What the heck has gotten into her?_

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes and got in the car. Jennifer drove, eventually stopping at Club Nightshade. _Hope this place isn't deadly._

"Where did you find this place?" Rachel asked as we stepped out.

"Some of my friends and I went here after graduation." She replied messing with her hair slightly. _Okay then..._

"Hello ladies. Identification please?" The bouncer asked. We all showed him our drivers licenses and he let us through. The lighting was actually decent in the bar and the atmosphere wasn't as bad as expected. There was plenty of seating and people weren't all over each other. _Maybe they haven't drank enough._ Jennifer pointed to the bar and we followed.

"I'll have a cosmopolitan." Jennifer said. The bartender returned rather quickly with a hot pink drink and handed it to Jennifer.

"Thanks." Jennifer sipped her drink. "Want a sip?" She turned to me.

"Sure." I took a small sip and handed the sickly sweet drink back to Jennifer. We made our way to a high top table and sat down. Rachel quickly joined us with a martini and Emma came a few minutes later with a beer for herself and the house's nonalcoholic raspberry lemonade for me.

We laughed and talked together as the we drank. I thought Jennifer only went back for one drink, but before I knew it, she was completely slap happy, and a bit clumsier than usual.

"Let's dance!" She squealed, taking mine and Emma's hands. Rachel followed behind us. We danced for a while and Jennifer disappeared to get another drink. _I won't let her have any more after this one._

When Jennifer came back, she was all ready stumbling over her own feet. _Oh great._

"Well don't you look lovely tonight." A man swaggered up to me. I flashed him my engagement ring before taking Jennifer by the hand and pulling her to a different spot on the dance floor. We bumped into Emma who was gabbing away with two other girls.

"You've known this man how long?" Some girl asked Emma.

"Seven years and still can't quit him." She responded.

"Are you kidding girl! If I'd been with a man three years I'd marry him." The second girl said taking a sip from a beer bottle.

"Not this man. He's more of a pain than jalapeño peppers dipped in lava." She said straight, causing the other women to laugh.

"Emma what are you talking about? You went on and on about when he surprised you at work and then took you to his house for dinner. He was all over until..." I put my hand over Jennifer's mouth before she revealed something she'd never forgive herself for.

"Well then why..." I pulled Jennifer away from the girls until I figured we were safe. As Jennifer finished up her third drink, she was tripping and falling until I was sure she'd break her nose any minute. Finally, I took her by the arm and led her back to sit at our table while I went to gather the other girls.

"We need to go home, Emma." I said, tapping my friend on the shoulder.

"But I'm talking." _Yeah, you haven't stopped all night._

"Well Jennifer is drunk out of her mind and we need to take her home."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. Go sit at our table and make sure she doesn't get into any trouble." Emma nodded her head and sat down next to Jennifer. She got up and went to the bar and returned with a bottle of water for Jennifer. Rachel wandered back to the table and sat down, laying her head on Jennifer's shoulder. I walked over to my friends and wrapped one arm around Jennifer as she got up.

"Can I have your keys?" I asked Jennifer, holding my free hand out.

"I-I can drive." Jennifer said as she nearly fell over in the parking lot. _Now I really know you're drunk._

"No you can't. May I have your keys?" Jennifer reached in her purse and handed me her car key. I unlocked the car and got Jennifer situated in the passenger seat. The other girls climbed in the back seat. "Okay, I'll drop you two off, drive Jennifer home, and leave her car at her house and walk back home." I informed Rachel and Emma, receiving a grunt in reply. Once home, I locked Jennifer in the car and helped Rachel and Emma get inside. Right as we walked in, Rachel crashed on the couch while Em got some food out of the fridge and sat on the floor. _I think they'll be all right._

I went back to the car and headed toward Jennifer's house. I pulled into Jennifer's driveway and looked over at Jennifer. _Totally passed out._ I walked up to the door and knocked, hoping Sodapop would wake up before the kids.

"Angelina? What are you doing here?" He asked sleepily.

"Dropping Jennifer off. I'm going to need you to carry her from the car." I replied, tired and ready to be home.

"What happened?! She said she'd drive herself home." He asked frantically. _I guess she forgot about being designated driver._

"Nothing. She's just going to have a hell of a hangover tomorrow." Sodapop stared at me for a moment and then put his shoes on. I opened the door for him and he reached in and picked up Jennifer.

"So it was your party and you didn't drink? Or are you more of a rebel than you made us believe?" He joked slightly as he set Jennifer down on the couch and put a blanket over her.

"Ha, ha very funny." I said rolling my eyes. "But that wasn't my idea of a party anyway, but the girls had fun. Anyway, thanks and I'll see you in a few days." I gave him a hug and began my walk home, the moon lighting my way.


	17. Chapel Wedding

**April 9, 1973**

Angelina POV

Sodapop pulled into the parking lot and Jennifer, the children, and I got out. I had decided that we would have everything ready at the chapel and it was working out perfectly. We went to the Preparation Room and the girls changed into their airy blue dresses with capped sleeves before the guys came in to get ready.

Dally came into the room and grabbed one of the dark blue ties I had brought for him and the rest of the groomsmen. He stopped by the door and turned around.

"You know, Johnny's never been happier than the day you said yes." He said, looking down at my engagement ring on the counter. He looked up at me for a second and turned out the door. Dally's loud steps echoed through the chapel and I heard the gang talking outside the door.

I picked up my ring and placed it on my right hand. I took my dress out of the bag behind the changing screen and put it on, the soft fabric flowing at my feet and around my shoulders. I heard a light tap on the door as I zipped the back.

"Yes?" I called, putting my cross necklace on.

"Angelina? Can I come in?"

"Yes." I heard the door knob click as Johnny turned the handle and stepped in.

"Johnny? What are you doing in here?" Jennifer asked, concern touching her voice. I looked through the screen and saw a smaller shadow of a person in the doorway and another shadow more in the room.

"Jennifer it's ok. He still can't see me." I said smiling. _Jennifer was so worried at her wedding that Sodapop was going to see her, I wonder if that's coming back._

"All right. We're all ready when you are Angelina." Jennifer said, walking to my side of the screen. "I'm so proud of you. Johnny is definitely a lucky man." She whispered into my ear.

"Thanks Jennifer. And thanks for helping out with all of this."

"As your sister, it's my job to help you, and I'm just returning the favor for what you did at my wedding." Jennifer smiled and gently rearranged the curls in my hair.

"I love you sis."

"I love you too." Jennifer gave me a quick hug and walked away. I heard the door click closed and Johnny sigh.

"Are you all right?"

"Sí mí novia. Better than ever." He laughed. I felt my cheeks heat up as he called me his bride. _I'm always a sucker when he speaks to me that way._ Through the screen I saw his shadow walk over and place his hand against a painted heart on the fabric. I put mine against it as well, feeling his hand through the screen. We stood silent until I heard Johnny begin to whisper something.

"Padre, gracias for making this day possible. Gracias por darme Angelina."

"Father, thank you for all of the blessings you've given us. Thank you for giving me Johnny."

"You made man and woman for one another. Gracias for giving us each other. Amén."

"Amen." I whispered, feeling the tears form behind my eyelids. We stood again, the piano beginning to play some meditation music.

"Soy esperando por tú." _I'm waiting for you._

"I'll be there. Prometo." _I promise._ I sensed his hand leave the screen but I still felt the warmth from his hand on it. I finished getting ready and step out of the room. Jennifer was giving last hugs to Sodapop and her kids before they went into the chapel. Mary almost disappeared in her matching dress when Jennifer stooped down to hug her and Patrick looked like a miniature Sodapop. Rachel stood with Ponyboy. Emma hung by them, trying to ignore Two-Bit as he made faces at the kids to make them laugh. Everyone gasped as they noticed me and I could feel myself blush.

"Ready?" Darry asked after Sodapop walked in. I nodded my head and took my three flowered, coral pink rose with peach ribbon bouquet from Jennifer. He walked through and cued the pianist. After everyone went, I began to walk down the aisle. As I looked at the pews, my heart ached knowing Johnny's parents weren't there. _But they've been gone six years now. It's more of a blessing for Johnny that they aren't here._ I looked from the pews to Johnny and my heart became as light that I could fly. _We'll at least have each other._ I made it to Johnny and as I handed Jennifer my flowers I couldn't help but smile at him.

As we came to our vows, the priest stepped on the opposite side of us, making us the front of the whole assembly.

"I Angelina, take you Jonathan to be my wedded husband." I began, taking his left hand.

"I Johnny, take you Angelina to be my wedded wife." He continued the switch off, taking my left. "To have."

"And to hold, for better."

"Or worse, for rich."

"Or for poor, in sickness."

"And in health, to love."

"And to cherish."

"'Til death do us part." We said together.

"I do pledge to you my faithfulness, my trust, and my love." Johnny began again.

"I do pledge to you my faithfulness, my trust, and my love." I repeated. "Now."

"And forever."

"You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. What God has joined, men must not divide." The priest said raising his arms.

"Amen."

The priest took our rings and raised his eyes to heaven. "Lord, bless and consecrate Jonathan and Angelina in their love for one another, and always remind them of their love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen." He handed Johnny a ring and stepped back.

"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, take this ring as sign of my love and faithfulness. Wear it with love and joy, knowing I will forever be with you." I gazed down at the ring and saw minuscule diamonds embedded into the smooth silver band. I looked at Johnny and smiled, knowing he switched to this from the plain wedding band we had decided earlier. I took the other ring from the priest and looked at Johnny.

"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, take this ring as sign of my love and faithfulness. Wear it with love and joy, knowing I will forever be with you." I put the ring on his finger and we held our hands, left in left and right in right.

As the service closed, everything felt perfect. The priest stood in the front to address the dismissal.

"This mass has ended. And may I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Cade. You may seal your union." I heard everyone hold their breath as Johnny and I turned to each other. We gave each other a simple a peck as we locked hands. We began walking down the aisle together as the music began and everyone smiled for us. But I knew they looked at each other behind us, wishing for our first public, romantic kiss.

We waited for a few moments before walking out of the chapel to the covered patio and everyone clapped as we came together. Streamers hung from the wooden beams and the kids jumped to grab them. Johnny and I lifted them up so they could each grab one and they ran triumphantly to their parents. Allie walked over and gave me a hug.

"Congratulations hon." She said, her heavy accent making me smile.

"Thanks Allie. I'm glad you could come." She was probably the sweetest people I've meet here and it's great that Darry invited her. As some of the volunteers began coming out with the food, Two-Bit walked over to us.

"So, no kiss?" He asked loudly, drawing the attention of everyone.

"There was a kiss." I said grabbing Johnny and myself a glass of wine.

"A _real_ kiss." I looked over at the others and caught eyes with Jennifer. She smiled and rolled her eyes about Two-Bit. Sodapop and Ponyboy were laughing, not even knowing what was going on, and Darry shook his head. Allie laughed slightly next to him and rubbed his back.

"Give it a rest Keith." Emma called taking a plate of food. "Shut up and sit down." Two-Bit looked back at us and sighed.

"Don't worry." Johnny assured, wrapping his arm around my waist. I smiled and handed him a glass. "Everyone. I'd like to make an announcement." All our guests took a seat.

"We would like to thank everyone for coming and for helping us plan this day." I started

"You've been a great support and a great family to both of us. And so, on this day of the start of our family, I'd like to propose a toast," Johnny raised his glass and we all followed, "to my family. To the gang and to my beautiful wife." The guys cheered and the girls clapped as we sipped our drinks and set them down.

I was expecting us to sit down at the center table but then Johnny twisted me around to the center of the patio and kissed me in front of everyone. After that everyone went wild. The boys hollered and someone let a high whistle. _Probably Two-Bit_. Johnny pulled back from the longest kiss he's given me and smiled. _He's just full of pleasant surprises today._ I leaned in smiling and we kissed again, this time the fanfare not following. The music started for our first dance and we danced a simple waltz together. As the song ended everyone moved about to get food or dance. Dally came up and gave Johnny a sound pat on the back in congratulations. He then shook my hand, a small smile crossing his face.

"Looks like you guys are off to a good start." He whispered as we sat down.

"I guess so." I whispered back. I looked around at Jennifer dancing with Patrick near Sodapop dancing with Mary. Rachel and Ponyboy danced too but Two-Bit and Emma sat and ate. "But the best start is our wonderful new life together."


	18. Luck of the Irish

**March 17, 1974**

Sodapop POV

Jennifer was busy in the kitchen, preparing for her Saint Patrick's Day party, and I was sitting in the living room, attempting to occupy the twins.

"Daddy, can we paint?" Patrick asked.

"Okay. Hang on, I just need to get you kids your things." I pulled the easels and giant paper from our art supply closet, and got my two old DX uniform shirts for smocks. I unlocked the safe that we kept the paint in, and poured a quarter sized dollop of each color on two paper plates. I set the children up and they began working on their masterpieces.

I snuck up behind Jennifer as she checked on her corned beef and cabbage.

"That smells great." I said, kissing her cheek.

"I hope so." She laughed. "I've been working on this all day."

"Do you want me to help you with anything?"

"As long as you are watching the kids, and keeping them out of my way, you are helping me perfectly. Besides, you would find a way to burn the house down just by cutting vegetables." I laughed and kissed my wife once again. The door opened and then slammed shut, and I heard a two sets of foot steps walk in.

"Looks like we have a couple of artists in here!" I heard Angelina exclaim.

"Hey Ang. The cake looks wonderful!" I said as I took the platter from her and gave her a hug. She immediately walked over to the kitchen and began talking to Jennifer and asking how she could help. I stuck the cake in the refrigerator and went back to the living room with two beers. One for me, and one for Johnny.

"I thought you didn't drink." Johnny said as he took his bottle.

"I don't, but this is an Irish holiday and when in Ireland..."

"Gotcha."

"Uncle Johnny, this is for you." Patrick walked up and gave Johnny a picture. I could actually tell what it was this time, so he's gotten better.

"Thanks kiddo. How about you put that on your easel so I can show everyone when they come over." Patrick happily walked back to his easel and put the paper back on. He gave me his paint and took off his smock.

"Can we play with blocks?" Patrick asked us.

"Sure, but we'll have to clean up once everyone comes over." I said as I pulled out the box of wooden building blocks.

After an hour passed, I had both twins cleaned up from painting and Johnny was helping them put away their blocks before everyone else started coming over.

"Happy Saint Patty's Day. I brought some Irish whiskey." Two-Bit said in a very bad accent.

"Hi Auntie Emma. Hi Uncle Keith." Mary said as she reached her hands up for Two-Bit to pick her up. He obliged and set her down on the couch and tickled her. She squirmed out of his lap but continued to giggle as she sat on the ground.

"I should probably go in the kitchen." Emma sighed.

"Would you rather stay out here?" I asked. "You are more than welcome to if you would like." Emma smiled and sat down on the floor with her back against Two-Bit's legs.

The rest of the gang trickled in slowly, minus Dally, but he rarely came to events other than major holidays.

"Okay guys, we're about ready to eat." Jennifer called, taking off her apron. We all lined up and got our own food buffet style, as usual.

"Man Jennifer, you almost eat as much as a Curtis." Two-Bit joked as Jennifer finished her plate. She blushed slightly, looking down at her empty plate.

"Well she's been one for about four and a half years." I said picking up everything.

"Mommy has a baby growing in her tummy." Mary interrupted. Everyone stared at her, and then at Jennifer.

"Mary!" I gasped.

"Well, I was planning on telling you guys a little differently." Jennifer laughed. "But, Sodapop and I are expecting our third child in September." I stood behind my wife and rested my hands on her shoulders.

"Congratulations!" Angelina said raising her glass to us with Johnny following her lead.

"Another Curtis." Steve sighed.

"Hey, the more the merrier." Darry laughed. "Congrats you two." Patrick yawned loudly.

"Looks like it's time for bed." I said as I picked up Mary. Darry lifted Patrick and we carried them to their rooms with Jennifer trailing behind to get rid of the monsters under the bed and give good night kisses.

We all returned to the dining room, and Two-Bit pulled out a deck of cards.

"Let's play Spoons." He said.

"Fine by me." Jennifer said as Two-Bit began setting up. The rest of the night was full of fun and games, and by the end of the night I was even more excited for our family to grow.


	19. A New Chapter

**March 31, 1974**

Ponyboy POV

"Ponyboy, have you seen my journal?" Rachel was turning her and Emma's house upside down trying to find the small black book.

"Haven't seen it." I replied, walking into the kitchen and snaking my arm around her waist.

"If you aren't going to help me find it, then get out of my house. That book is important to me." She bit back a scream.

"Well, where did you last see it?" I asked, rubbing my thumb along the stubble on my jawline. _Forgot to shave again? Guess that's part of being an author, though I should really start cleaning myself up a bit for Rachel._

"On the coffee table."

"I'll go check over there." I offered. I went to the room and waited for her to turn around before I set the book down under a pile of magazines. "Did you check under the magazines?" She came out of the room and rifled through the pile.

"Here it is! I thought I checked here though." She sat down and began to flip through the pages of the book. _Any second now._ I saw something shiny fall into her lap, but said nothing. "Look here, there's the picture of all of us when we had that picnic the summer us girls got here." I looked down at the black and white picture. Sodapop had Jennifer on his back and both were laughing. Johnny had his arm around Angelina. Two-Bit was in the middle of saying something when the camera went off and Emma was rolling her eyes. I was sitting on the ground with Rachel and we were both smiling at the camera. Steve was fixing his hair and Dally had a cigarette in his mouth, as usual. Darry must have been taking the picture since his finger got in the way of the top corner of the lens.

"Those were the days." I sighed. "We never had to worry about anything other than school."

"That was the summer we had to fight those socs, remember?" Rachel reminded me quietly, fiddling with her tank top.

"Yeah. I remember, but it was also the summer that brought us together." I wrapped my arm around her bare shoulders and picked up the gold diamond ring from her lap. "And this is the summer that we start the rest of our lives together."

"Ponyboy?" Rachel looked up at me.

"Rachel, will you marry me?"

"I would love to." She said softly as I slid the ring onto her finger. I gently kissed her cheek as Emma came into the room from outside.

"What's going on here?" She asked, taking in our positions.

"Ponyboy proposed to me!" Rachel exclaimed, showing off her ring.

"All right. I'll leave you kids to it then." Emma laughed as she walked into her room.

"I love you." I whispered into Rachel's ear.

"I love you too." She whispered back, kissing me softly.

"Forever."

"And always."


	20. Backyard Wedding

**July 31, 1974**

Rachel POV

"Close your eyes for a minute." Jennifer commanded me. She used a soft brush to apply and blend my eye shadow. "Perfect!" She smiled at me, leaning back a bit to admire her work.

"Can I see yet?" I whined slightly.

"Not until you put on your dress." I sighed, impatient to see how I looked. Jennifer handed me my wedding dress. A simple flowing dress, perfect for my backyard wedding. I slipped it on and she adjusted my veil on my head, letting it fall naturally around my shoulders.

"All right. You can look now." She said softly. I turned around and gasped at my reflection. I looked pretty.

"Thank you so much." I said breathlessly as I turned around and hugged her. Her seven and a half month pregnant stomach got in the way of our hug, but it didn't make a difference to me.

"I'm going to go get the twins ready and then put on my dress. You just relax. Everything is going to turn out perfectly." I nodded my head and watched as Jennifer left the room. I could only hope that I could have a marriage as happy as hers and Sodapop's.

Moments later, there was a knock on my door.

"Rachel?" I could recognize that voice any day.

"Come in Angelina." She entered, wearing her light yellow knee length bridesmaid dress.

"You look beautiful." She whispered as she hugged me.

"Thank you. You look great too." Angelina beamed and twirled in her dress.

"You're the one who picked these out."

"I know, and I'm glad that it looks great on all of you. It even looks good on Jennifer, pregnancy and all." I laughed slightly. "Where's Emma?"

"Last I checked, she was waiting for Jennifer to do her hair and then she's putting the dress on and coming over here." I nodded my head.

Angelina and I sat together for half an hour before Jennifer, Emma, Mary, and Patrick walked in.

"Auntie Rachel, you're pretty!" Mary exclaimed.

"Thanks sweetheart." I said as I scooped her and her brother into a hug.

"Darry is going to be here in five minutes to pick us up." Jennifer informed us. I nodded and followed Jennifer out of the house to Darry's truck.

"The kids and I can go separately." Jennifer offered. I nodded my head and watched as she got in her car.

"I'll go with Jennifer too." Angelina said quickly as she got in the passenger seat of Jennifer's car.

Emma and I slid into Darry's truck and closed the door. He drove back to his house and parked in the driveway.

"This is really it. Isn't it?" I asked Darry and Emma.

"You're not getting cold feet, are you?" Darry teased me.

"No, I'm just nervous."

"I think everyone is when they get married. Ponyboy was a nervous wreck this morning when Jennifer and Angelina came over to help set up." Darry said. I laughed a little.

Emma helped me out of the car, and I held my dress up as we trekked up the driveway. Jennifer opened the door for us and we sat in the living room, just like the first night we arrived in Tulsa.

"The guys are ready whenever you are." Darry said.

"All right, so Angelina goes down first with Two-Bit, then me with Sodapop, Emma goes down and meets with Johnny. Then we have the twins walk down together, and finally Rachel, you walk down with Darry. Just like we practiced yesterday." Jennifer instructed and we all lined up and exited the house.

Someone turned on the music, and that was our cue to begin.

"Don't forget to smile!" Jennifer added before she took Soda's arm and walked down the aisle.

"You ready?" Darry asked and I nodded my head, listening to the music change. Darry gently took my arm and we began walking down the short aisle to Ponyboy. I have never seen him happier in my life.

"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today..." The rest of the ceremony was a blur and I was completely lost in my love for Ponyboy the whole time.

"You may kiss the bride." Ponyboy wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him as we shared a sweet, gentle kiss .


	21. It's Time

**September 3, 1974**

Jennifer POV

"Ouch! Seriously Baby?" I rubbed my stomach where my child had decided to kick me. "I can't wait for you to come out." I muttered as I cleared the table.

"Want some help?" Johnny came up behind me and began stacking plates. We both carried our stacks of dishes to the sink. "You're missing Sodapop." Johnny said simply as he handed a dish to me to dry and put away.

"That's an understatement."

"I know." I rested my hand in my stomach and looked into the living room where Angelina was playing with Patrick and Mary. "Why don't you go be with the kids, I'll finish this up." Johnny said quietly, taking my towel away from me. I walked into the living room and sat on the couch continuing to watch my children play with their Auntie Angelina.

"Will you and Mommy tell us a story?" Mary asked Angelina.

"I suppose so." Angelina replied, getting up to sit on the couch with me. Patrick sat on my left, and Mary on Angelina's right.

"What do you want to hear about?" Patrick rested his hand on my stomach, over his soon to be sibling, as he thought.

"The three little pigs." He finally decided.

"Is that all right with you, Mary?" Angelina asked. Mary nodded her head and then rested her head on Angelina's arm. We waited for a moment so that the kids could get comfy before we began.

"There once were three little pigs, who wanted to build their own houses. The first built his house out of straw, since it was fast. By afternoon, he was done with his house, and was able to play." I began.

"The second pig built his house out of sticks, and it took a little more time than the first pig, but by the evening, the second pig was able to play as well." Angelina continued.

"The third pig was a wise little pig, and decided to build his house out of bricks. It took a lot longer than the other two pigs, and he was not able to play with them." Johnny sat on the floor in front of Angelina as we were telling our story.

"One day, a big bad wolf came out of the woods and knocked on the first pig's house."

"Little pig, little pig, let me in." Johnny said in a low voice.

"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin." Patrick and Mary said together.

"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down." Johnny threatened, beginning to huff and puff.

"The wolf huffed, and he puffed, and he blew that pig's house down." I said, suddenly feeling a weak contraction. I rubbed my stomach and we continued with the story. At the end of the story, both of the twins were yawning and very sleepy. "Time for bed you two." I sang as the five of us walked upstairs to put the twins to bed.

"You all right, Jennifer?" Angelina asked, as I gasped with another contraction.

"I'm in labor." I said quietly, not quite believing it myself.

"How far along?" Angelina asked as we sat on the couch.

"Not very long at all, we still have a couple hours before we need to go to the hospital." Angelina nodded. "What about the kids?"

"I'll stay here and watch them." Johnny volunteered. "Just keep me updated so I can take them to meet their new brother or sister."

"All right." I said as I had another contraction. We sat in the living room and watched The Waltons, and the show was just ending when I had an incredibly painful contraction and my water broke.

"Let's go." I said to Angelina. "When I said I couldn't wait for you to come, I didn't mean tonight." I grumbled to my baby as I got off the couch.

"All right." She grabbed my hand and took my keys off the hook. The drive to the hospital was nearly silent, and when we got there, I was admitted rather quickly. "Do you want to call Sodapop?" Angelina asked me. I nodded and she handed me the phone. I dialed the number to his hotel room and he picked it up on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me." I said quietly.

"Is everything all right?" Sodapop's tone changed rather quickly from neutral to worried.

"Everything's fine, and hopefully, I'll get to meet our child tomorrow morning." I squeezed my eyes shut as I had another contraction.

"You're having the baby? I should get home." Sodapop sounded frantic and I could imagine him looking around the room, ready to throw everything in his suitcase and race home.

"No. You stay there. Denver to Tulsa is a long drive and besides, you still haven't inspected that gas station yet."

"All right, but call me and keep me updated. God, I wish I was with you."

"I love you Sodapop."

"I love you too Jennifer." He hung up the phone and I set my receiver back into the cradle.

"What did he have to say?" Angelina asked.

"Just that he wished he was here and that he loved me." I replied, taking some of the ice chips a nurse placed on my bedside table.

Hours passed, and my contractions became increasingly stronger and closer together. Angelina was just dozing off when a nurse came in and told me I could start pushing. Angelina held my hand, as I pushed.

"Here you are Mrs. Curtis, your beautiful baby boy." The nurse placed him on my chest, and my eyes welled with tears.

"Hello Shayne David. I love you." I whispered, counting each of his tiny fingers and toes. After a few minutes, the nurse took my son away and I used that as my chance to take a quick shower and change. When I had gotten back to my room, Angelina was on the phone with her husband, telling him that Shayne was here.

When the nurse brought Shayne back to me, he was screaming his little head off.

"Shhhhh honey. It's okay." I gently rocked him in my arms and proceeded to call Sodapop. "Good morning sweetheart." I said over the crying.

"Is that our baby?" Sodapop asked immediately.

"It's our little Shayne David Curtis." I said happily, bouncing my baby slightly.

"Can I talk to him?" I held the phone near Shayne's ear, and he quieted down slightly as he listened to his daddy's voice.

"Mommy!" Johnny came in holding the twins' hands and they ran right over to me and their new brother.

"Children, this is your new baby brother Shayne." I said, as they came even closer.

"Hi." Mary said, reaching out and touching Shayne's hand. Patrick took the phone and began talking to his father, I had almost forgotten he was still on the phone.

"I love you too, Daddy." He said as he hung up the phone. I quickly picked up the phone again and dialed Darry's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Jennifer. Just wanted to tell you that our new addition to the Curtis family is here."

"That's great! I'll come by and see him or her after work. It sounds like you have a bit of a crowd in your room right now."

"That's fine, I'm sure he can't wait to meet his Uncle Darrell." I laughed. "And it's boy."

"A loud boy, like his father." Darry laughed as Shayne decided to start crying again.

"I guess so."

"So what's his name?"

"Shayne David." I said, looking down at my son once again. The other end was absolutely silent, and I thought we may have lost connection. "Hello?"

"Shayne David." Darry repeated, sighing slightly. "Dad would have been proud to share his name with his grandson."

"I'm sure. Soda and I felt we needed to pay homage to him since it's been ten years. " I paused looking back at my baby. "And to his godfather."

"Godfather?" Darry gulped "Well then I'm sure proud to share my name with my nephew and godson." I smiled. "So I'll see you later tonight."

"All right. See you." As soon as I hung up with Darry, Rachel and Ponyboy walked in.

"Hello little Shayne David." She said, leaning over him slightly. Her necklace hung right in front of him, and he stared at it curiously.

"He likes your necklace." Ponyboy laughed, reaching out to rub his nephew's head.

"Wait, so how did you know I was here?" I asked.

"Sodapop." Rachel and Ponyboy laughed. "He called us the second he found out the good news." Ponyboy elaborated.

"That would be him." I laughed, "I'm surprised the whole town doesn't know about it."

We continued visiting for the next half an hour before Shayne and I both got tired.

"I think we should let Mom and Shayne rest." Angelina said quietly as she began ushering everyone out of the room. I smiled as she took Shayne from my arms and put him in his crib and then rolled the crib next to my bed so I could tend to him as needed. "Have a nice nap." She whispered, kissing Shayne's little forehead and then giving my hand a squeeze. She walked out and closed the door and I rolled over and softly sang lullabies to my son until we both fell asleep.


	22. Water Fight

**August 5, 1975**

Emma POV

"Let's go to the beach." Two-Bit's voice whispered into my ear. I jumped and nearly fell out of my bed.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed, pulling my blanket over my head.

"Taking you for a day at the beach." He explained nonchalantly, tugging on the blanket as to ensure I couldn't ignore him.

"Let me be more specific. Why are you in my room?" He simply stared at me. "Ugh! Fine! I'll get up. Just get out of my room." I groaned, throwing the covers off. I quickly changed into my bathing suit and layered it with jeans and the first shirt I could find and went to the kitchen to make myself a quick meal of cereal.

"Ready to go?" Two-Bit asked, jumping up and down.

"Calm down buddy." He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of the house. "I said calm down, not drag me out of my house." I nearly yelled, trying to loosen his grip.

"Maybe you should get excited instead?" He said opening his car door.

"Why should I be excited? You're the one who broke into my house in the middle of the night and woke me up to go to the beach." I huffed, crossing my arms.

"But you still love me."

"We'll see." I sighed, getting into the car. He got in cranked up the radio and blasted off, probably waking up everyone in the neighborhood.

The road to the beach was long and boring. At one point, we stopped at a drugstore and Two-Bit came back with six beers and a store bought cake.

"Really? Not only do I have to deal with you, but I'm going to have to deal with you drunk?" I asked as he put the stuff in the back.

"We're going to have a good time and a good time needs something to celebrate with." I rolled my eyes. I hope we arrive at the beach soon so I can get out of this car. My prayers were answered and we arrived at the beach. Two-Bit hopped out of the car and opened the door for me.

"You want to see the best spot on the beach?" He asked taking my hand.

"Doesn't look like I'll have much of a choice." Two-Bit led me down to a wooden dock that went about twenty feet out to the water.

"This is my favorite spot." He sighed as we walk toward the edge. He closed his eyes and breathed deep. "I love gazing into the water and wondering what I may see."

I leaned over the dock to look at the water, and felt Two-Bit's hands on my waist. Before I knew it, I was emerging from underwater, completely soaked.

"Seriously?" Two-Bit nodded and laughed. I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the water. "There, now we're even." I chuckled, watching him shake some water out of his hair.

"Now is that any way to treat your boyfriend?"

"You started it, idiot." I splashed Two-Bit, and he splashed me back. I returned with another spray of water and he attempted to get me back but I dodged. "Three hits. You're out." I told him after I splashed him one last time.

"Well fine then." He huffed, crossing his arms.

I shivered in the water slightly. "You didn't think to bring extra clothes, did you?"

"Yeah, they're in the car." We got out of the water, and Two-Bit sat on the dock while I went to get some clothes and change. When I popped open the trunk, I was greeted with a plastic bag that read Emma. Inside there was a set of sweats and some underclothes. _How did he get that?_

I took the bag and changed behind a tree. At the bottom of the bag, there was a small black box. I put it in my pocket and returned to the dock.

"Your turn." I said as I sat down. Two-Bit returned quickly wearing a new pair of jeans, a t-shirt and his signature leather jacket. I took the box out of my pocket and gave it to Two-Bit. "What's this?"

"Well, why don't we open it and find out." He said, opening the box and presenting it to me. Inside was a silver ring with a large sapphire stone in the middle, with small diamonds on the sides.

"Did you swipe this?"

"Nope. Bought it fair and square," he gave the ring to me. "And I want you to have it."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to marry me." Marriage? Me?

"I don't know, Keith." I rarely, if ever, have heard anyone use his real name, but I liked the sound of it. Keith Matthews. Emma Matthews.

"Please say yes, I've been thinking about this for ten years." I looked into his gray eyes.

"Ten years is a long time."

"Too long. But I'll wait until eternity for you."

"Well you won't have to wait any longer." I sighed.

"Really? You'll marry me?" He asked, his eyes wide.

"Yes. I will." Two-Bit slipped the ring on my finger and kissed me. "But we aren't going to make a huge fuss over this. We're going to the courthouse and eloping."

"Anything you want, Emma." He whispered into my ear, kissing me again. He stood up and pulled me to my feet. He pulled me into his arms in a suffocating bear hug.

"Ok buddy. No point getting married if you're going to kill me." I gasped as he let go.

"Well, are you ready?" He asked.

"I said yes didn't I? You don't need to ask again." He led me to the car and when we got in drove down the road faster than before. If that's even possible. _I'm getting married to this idiot, and I love it._


	23. The Elopement

**August 19, 1975**

Emma POV

"I can't believe you're actually getting married!" Jennifer squealed through the phone.

"I can't either to be honest." I sighed sitting on the couch.

"So when's the big date?"

"Today, when Keith gets home."

"What?!" I held the phone away from my ear. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because I didn't want to make a big deal out of it." I rubbed my face.

"All right." I heard Shayne crying in the background. "Listen, I'll talk to you later. We should get lunch soon, when I can get Keith or Johnny to babysit."

"Definitely." I said.

"Bye." Jennifer hung up before I could reply. _Being a mom sure must be hard work_.

I went to my bathroom and brushed through my hair and put on a little mascara and lip-gloss. I put on my bridesmaid dress from Angelina's wedding, shortened to a more reasonable length courtesy of Ethel, and smoothed it out. By the time I got out, Keith was standing at my door.

"You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." I smiled, walking out the door with Keith. We walked to his car hand in hand. "Alright, I'll let you drive if you promise not to kill me on the way to the courthouse." Keith sighed and smiled. He drove especially slow and even obeyed the laws of the road. We arrived at the courthouse and I spotted Darry's truck. _Rachel and Ponyboy must be borrowing it._ We walk in and saw them talking with the mayor. Rachel wore her dress from Jennifer's wedding and Ponyboy had on a nice suit jacket.

"So Two-Bit. Ready to be an honest, married man?" Ponyboy asked shaking his hand.

"It's Keith now, Ponyboy." He said, smiling. "Just Keith." Rachel gave me a long hug as the mayor returned with his book.

"I'm surprised you decided to wear a dress. I was sure you were going to come in jeans." She joked, fluffing mine and her skirt.

"Keith wore me down. I said he could wear the dress and I'd get the suit but he wouldn't have it. Now hands off." Rachel laughed as the mayor found his page.

"Is the couple ready?"

"Yes." I said and we all took our positions.

"We are gathered together here in the presence of these witnesses to join this man and this woman in matrimony, which is an honorable estate, and is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently and discreetly. If anyone can show just cause why this man and this woman may not lawfully be joined together, let them speak now or hereafter remain silent.

Keith and Emma, I require and charge you both that if either of you know any reason why you may not lawfully be joined together in matrimony, you do now confess. If any persons are joined together otherwise than as prescribed by law, their marriage is not lawful." The mayor paused, and hearing no complaint, continued with the ceremony. "Keith, will you take this woman to be your wedded wife, to live together in the estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor and keep her; in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her, as long as you both shall live?"

"I will." Keith looked into my eyes, and for once in his life, he was completely serious.

"Emma, will you take this man to be your wedded husband, to live together in the estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor and keep him; in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep yourself only until him, so long as you both shall live?"

"I will." I barely recognized my own voice.

"Keith, take Emma by the hand and repeat after me. 'I, Keith, take thee Emma, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do us part.'" Keith choked up slightly as he repeated his vows.

"Emma, repeat after me. 'I, Emma, take thee Keith, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part.'" My voice cracked at the end of my vows.

"For as much as Keith and Emma have consented together in wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth, each to the other, and have declared the same by joining hands. Now, by the authority vested in me by the State of Oklahoma and the Office of Mayor of the City of Tulsa, I pronounce you to be husband and wife and extend to you my best wishes for a successful and happy married life together. Lady and gentleman, may I present Mr. & Mrs. Matthews." Keith pecked me on the lips and held up my left hand, which now sported a simple wedding band. _I'm married!_

After dinner with the gang, Keith drove us back to my house. I sighed, surveying how much more packing had to be done before we could move into our new place that was closer to Keith's mom.

"You know what Keith?" I stepped away from the cabinet I was cleaning out.

"What?" He wrapped his arms around me.

"I think I do love you."

"What?" I knew I had caught him by surprise. After ten years of dating, I had never said the l-word.

"I love you." I said again, kissing him gently.

"I love you too."


	24. Real Family

**October 8, 1975**

Angelina POV

I woke up on the couch and checked the watch Jennifer gave me for my wedding two years ago. _5:37? I just took a two hour nap. I never do that._

I rolled from under the covers, my back sore, and went to the restroom. I opened my drawer for my washcloth and looked over at one of the small packages hidden in the corner. I ripped one open, used it, hid it back in my drawer. As I stepped out of the bathroom I heard something clatter onto our apartment's kitchen floor.

"Dang it. Good afternoon!" Johnny said after looking up at me. I smiled and kneeled down to pick up the silverware. "Are you feeling any better?" I stood up and instantly placed my hand on Johnny for support.

"My head." I groaned as he held me up. I still felt dizzy as he walked me to a chair.

"Well, you'll feel better soon. Plus you don't have to worry about dinner." Johnny whispered to me. I smiled and he sat down holding a small cookbook. "Which would you like? Chicken salad or tuna?" He flipped through the pages until I stopped him.

"That looks good." I said pointing to a tomato, chicken, and cheese recipe.

"But I thought you didn't like tomatoes?"

"Yes but, that looks really good." I said, putting my hand over my stomach. He looked at me confused but walked over to the refrigerator. He opened it up and the most rancid smell permeated the air. I gagged and nearly raced back to the bathroom. I leaned over the toilet and ripped open my drawer. I stared at the green dot as I heard the floor squeak from Johnny walking over. I replaced the strip in the drawer and opened the door, still sitting on the floor. Johnny's eyes were wide as he held his hands out for me.

"I'm fine." I told him as he gently pulled me to my feet.

"Really?" He asked as he held me close, in case I did anything else out of the ordinary.

"Yes, I'm feeling much better." I said, trying not to let a tear slide out of my eye.

Johnny finished making dinner and we ate in comfortable silence. I brought out our favorite ice cream from the freezer and we fed each other like on our honeymoon. As I cleaned the dishes, Johnny came behind me and wrapped his arms around me.

"So, first you scare me by acting like you're ill, and now you're fine." He said turning me around, "Are you really ok?" He asked concerned. I sighed and took him to the couch to sit.

"Johnny, I know how you've always wanted a real family. Well now," I paused, putting my hand on his, "we are going to have one of our own."

"Angelina?" He whispered.

"I'm pregnant." I said, letting the tears fall. He wiped his hand against my face, his eyes worried. I laughed as he realized I was smiling. He smiled back, his shoulders dropping relieved. Johnny opened his arms and I leaned into him so my back rested on his chest. Our breathing became in sync and we rested with each other, reveling in the good news.

"We're going to be parents." He gasped, resting his hands on my lower abdomen. "Padres."

"Yes we are." I sighed as I closed my eyes, already imagining our coming days with a child with us.


	25. She's Gone

**January 13, 1976**

Emma POV

We walked into the building quietly, almost immediately feeling out of place. We were completely surrounded by people, most of whom we had never seen before, but everyone in the room was there for the same reason, to pay their respect to a wonderful woman. I looked to the front of the room to where my former boss lay in a casket.

"She's in a better place now." Jennifer whispered, broken. Sodapop took her hand and she leaned on him, already sniffling.

"Emma do you want to go up first?" Angelina asked as she set down her scarf on a chair. I nodded and walked over with Keith following behind me.

"She was quite a woman." He whispered. "I could never figure her out."

"She gave us all so much." I said feeling a tear slip. I turned around and saw Megan standing with Elizabeth. They noticed me and walked over.

"Thank you so very much for coming Emma." Megan said hugging me. "She would be so happy with what you've done with her shop."

"You're welcome. And thank you."

"It's nice to know that it will be taken care of. I'll continue to bring my children there." Elizabeth said looking over from the casket to her three children standing by the flowers. I smiled and they walked to greet others who just came in. I sat down next to Angelina who was reading a prayer card and Johnny looked over her shoulder. Rachel was giving her respects and Ponyboy stood by. A pastor came in and spoke to Megan and she ushered everyone to sit down.

"On behalf of my mother, Ethel, I would like to thank everyone for coming this day." She said standing in the front of the room. She dabbed her eyes and stepped aside from the casket.

"My sister and I greatly appreciate you taking the time to visit our mother. And I can see her now looking down on us with our father." Elizabeth said, taking her sister's hand for support.

"After the prayer, I invite others to come up and speak. If you wish to do so, please stand and I will invite you to stand here." The pastor said taking out a rosary. The somber atmosphere was interrupted as he began the prayer service. I stared at the head of the casket and breathed heavily. Keith took my hand and rubbed it. I heard Jennifer sniffling behind me and taking out some more tissues. As the prayer finished, Ethel's family came up for a group eulogy, speaking of all the great memories Ethel gave them.

As the family dissipated from the center, Jennifer stood and the pastor acknowledged her. She walked to the front and collected herself before she began.

"Ethel was definitely an amazing woman, and I could go on all day talking about her, but I'm going to make this brief. When my friends and I first arrived in Tulsa, we didn't have jobs, money, or a home. When we saw the sign that said she was hiring, my friend and I went inside and were both offered jobs with decent salaries. However, that doesn't even begin to describe Ethel's kindness to us. She pitched in money to send my sister and me through school so we could take care of ourselves better and encouraged us when time seemed crunched. Ethel has always been my mentor, and she acted as a sort of mother figure to me. She was always there for me when I needed help or advice, and once I had children, she extended her love and became a surrogate grandmother to them. I'm thankful to have met such a wonderful woman and will greatly miss her." Jennifer had managed to stay together for the most part, but she began crying again once she sat down next to Sodapop. As more people began speaking of Ethel, the lighter the atmosphere became. Soon everyone smiled remembering the generosity, care, and wisdom given to anyone who walked through her doors.

We gave our final respects to Megan and Elizabeth and walked to the main doors.

"Do you girls want to stay inside while we warm the cars a bit?" Johnny asked as Angelina put her scarf on.

"All right." She replied sitting in one of the lobby chairs.

"There really aren't enough words to describe her." Rachel sighed looking at the picture on the prayer card.

"She was just always so amazing to us." Angelina said quietly. "I mean, what about the time she sent you her famous apple cake as a birthday surprise when you were at college?"

"And she was always there at our weddings, and altered all our dresses." Jennifer said, smoothing down her black skirt.

"I still can't believe that she gave me ownership of the store after she retired." I said.

"She really was like a mother to all of us." Angelina sighed. We sat in silence for another minute before we stepped outside. The sun felt warm compared to the slight January chill as we walked to our cars.

"We'll see you later. We have to pick up the kids from Uncle Steve." Jennifer said as she got into the Curtis family's minivan.

"Let's go." Keith said, opening the door for me.

We drove in silence until we reached a stop light.

"Why didn't you go up Em?" I thought about it for a second.

"There was nothing I needed to add." I replied simply. "And besides I would probably crack a joke and somehow manage to insult everyone." He laughed slightly and continued driving.

"I don't know." Keith responded. "She always enjoyed your sense of humor."


	26. Be My Valentine

**February 14, 1976**

Johnny POV

I stepped out of our car in Sodapop and Jennifer's driveway. As I opened the door for Angelina, her new sweater got caught up in the seat belt. She handed me the tray and stepped out.

"You doing ok?" I asked as she adjusted her clothes.

"Perfect." She smiled as we walked to the door.

"I almost can't believe that Jennifer is having a Valentine's day party." I heard Emma say as we entered the house. Sodapop greeted us and we put our coats on two chairs next to each other.

"Well it's to be expected. We've known Jennifer how long now?" Rachel asked handing Ponyboy a glass of red punch.

"Oh my gosh those are adorable Angelina!" Jennifer called as she walked into the kitchen. Angelina unwrapped the homemade, heart shaped, sugar cookies we baked last night and let Mary help set them up on a red plate.

"Hey y'all!" Allie called, coming in the door. She carried a large platter of food and Darry helped her take it to the kitchen. "Thanks Darry darling." She went on her toes and kissed him on the cheek and then helped Jennifer.

I sat down on the couch and was jumped by Patrick, nearly knocking me over. _He's gotten so big now._ Darry pried him off of me and pretended to fly him around the room as everyone took a seat. Well other than Steve, who decided to stand as usual.

"Where's Dally?" I asked and everyone looked at the one empty spot.

"I told him to be here." Sodapop said looking out the window. "It's not every month we get a chance to be together all at once." Suddenly a loud banging came on the door.

"Hey! What's the point of being invited to the party if you can't get in?" Dally shouted as Jennifer got up to open the door.

"You made it." Angelina said smiling.

"Yeah, yeah. Now what's this announcement Johnny?" Dally asked putting his hands in his pockets.

"Announcement?" Everyone asked at once looking at me and Angelina. She sighed and looked at Dally annoyed.

"We were planning on telling later." I said taking Angelina's hand.

"Now now!" Mary yelled, bouncing on Sodapop's lap.

"Yeah, I agree with the kid. Why keep us waiting?" Keith said leaning forward in his chair.

"Well it's Angelina's call." I said looking over at her.

"All right." She sighed looking at everyone else and stood up. "We would like to announce that we're going to have a baby." I squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. We looked across the room at the gang. Everyone was quiet, especially Jennifer. Angelina hadn't even told her yet so this must have been a shock.

"You're pregnant?" Dally asked. He looked from me to Angelina and back again. Angelina smoothed her free hand over her stomach to reveal the hidden, small, four month baby bump that had begun to form.

"You're pregnant!" Jennifer squealed holding Shayne. I stood up with Angelina as everyone began to crowd around.

"Congratulations Angelina." Rachel said hugging her. "And you too Johnny."

"Who would have guessed our Johnnycake would some day be a dad." Steve said slapping me on the shoulder.

"I'm so happy for you hon!" Allie called next to Darry.

After everyone quieted down, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Angelina and I turned around to Dally. "Congrats you two." Dally said quietly, almost so no one else would hear him. We nodded in acknowledgement and watched as he walked out of Jennifer's party.

Sodapop raised his glass. "To Johnny and Angelina and their new addition!" Angelina blushed as everyone cheered again but smiled softly.

"To Johnny, for the promising father he will be. And Angelina as the loving mother she will be." Allie added.

"To Sodapop and Jennifer and their ever growing family." I said as the kids played at their feet.

"To Rachel and Ponyboy and their newly published book." Darry said.

"To Emma and a Keith, that they survive the next few months until their first anniversary." Steve said, causing everyone to laugh.

"To everyone." Angelina said simply. "And to life and to love."

"To everyone!" We all repeated, drinking our punch. As the house quieted down and the party continued, Angelina pulled me aside to the kitchen.

"I felt the baby kick." She whispered, her hands on her stomach. I felt my jaw drop and she giggled. Lost for words, I wrapped my arms around her, feeling the small bump enveloped between us.


	27. A Little Game

**May 8, 1976**

Ponyboy POV

"Okay guys, Ponyboy and I planned a special game for all of us." Rachel said as she clapped her hands. Everyone sat in a circle on the picnic blanket.

"So this is a mystery game. What's going to happen is that Rachel and I will tell you guys the clues, and you have to guess what's going on. But here's the catch, only one person may speak for each clue, and each person may only speak once." Everyone nodded their heads and I picked up a stack of notecards.

"A couple has been married for a year and nine months." I read out loud.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Dally asked, slightly agitated.

"All right, there goes your guess." Rachel said, taking the next note card. "The man loves the woman, and someone else."

"Is he cheating on her?" Steve asked.

"There is a new medicine in the house that has never been used before."

"The man is having an affair and is trying to poison his wife." Keith said simply. We all laughed and I continued.

"The woman has been fatigued and nauseous." Rachel read.

"The poison is kind of working." Emma said, bouncing off of her husband.

"The woman goes to see the doctor." I read off.

"Maybe she has the flu." Angelina reasons, looking at everyone else.

"The man watches the woman closely."

"Did she have an allergic reaction to the medicine?" Darry asked us.

"The man is constantly biting his nails."

"Well, he has to be nervous about something." Johnny reasoned, looking from me to Rachel and back.

"The woman sometimes requests special food at meals."

"She has a food intolerance or is on a special diet..." Sodapop trailed off, knowing that he was probably wrong.

"The woman often rests her hand on her stomach." I read off the final clue.

We all stared at Jennifer. She was the only one who hadn't guessed yet. Shayne toddled over to her from the nearby sandbox and plopped himself tiredly into her lap. She then looked over at the twins on the swings together to make sure they were all right. Finally, she looked at Angelina, whose hand was resting on her six month pregnant stomach.

"The woman is pregnant." She said quietly. She paused briefly, locking eyes with Rachel. "Is Rachel pregnant?" We nodded our heads, smiling.

"I'm going to be an uncle!" Sodapop exclaimed, getting up to hug me and Rachel. Jennifer smiled happily as she gently rubbed her younger son's back.

"I'm so happy for you two." Darry said glancing first at his niece and nephews and then at us. "It's great to have another kid in the Curtis family."

"Geez, we are having two new additions to our gang in one year." Keith added glancing at Rachel and then at Angelina. "Looks like I'm going to be doing a lot more babysitting when Emma lets me away from the store." He laughed. We all joined in, and Jennifer uncovered her signature brownies. As we began eating, the conversation turned to babies and parenting. _I'm sure lucky to have such an amazing family._


	28. Tell The World

**July 12, 1976**

Angelina POV

I woke up to the smell of coffee wafting through the apartment. I pushed the covers off and stood up, using the bed for support. I walked to the kitchen and saw Johnny standing over the coffee pot.

"Buenos días." I sighed looking at the clock.

"A very early morning." Johnny groaned, tired. I walked over and tried to lay my head on his shoulder, but the baby kicked me off balance.

"Still moving?" He asked, placing his hand on my stomach.

"She calmed down last night." I placed my hand on top of his, feeling a weak contraction. I looked up a Johnny and smiled. "She may be coming soon." I whispered. He wrapped his arm around me and guided me to our couch.

"Need anything?"

"Just some breakfast." I replied.

"We should probably call Jennifer or the guys." Johnny said as he handed me granola and yogurt with raisins.

"Let's not. We would be waking them up and everyone has work." I gasped as a much stronger contraction hit me. Johnny looked at me worried but didn't move to the phone. We both changed out of our pajamas and rested until my water broke. As I got up, Johnny wrote a note and posted it on the door if Dally came by. _We never really know where he is._

Johnny guided me to our car and drove me to the hospital. He was breathing heavy and I hummed softly to calm him and myself down. Once we reached the hospital there wasn't as large of a danger of him having a panic attack. _We've been so excited for this day to come, it's a little overwhelming._ As we waited for a nurse, I could tell Johnny was anxious and I knew if I showed any nerves he would freak out. _Our first child, she's almost here._

"Right this way." A nurse said as she brought out a wheel chair. We went to the room and I changed into a robe and laid down. Slowly but quickly at the same time, my labor continued. Johnny stayed by holding my hand, only leaving once so he didn't collapse from hunger as the day went on.

"You're almost there Mrs. Cade." The doctor finally said. I closed my eyes for the final push.

"Ella está aquí." Johnny said as I heard a small coo resonate in the room. I opened my eyes as the doctor set my baby onto my chest. _She's here._ I let go of Johnny's hand and wrapped my arms around her. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and stared down at her. "Ella es perfecta."

"Sí." _She is perfect._ "Hello Rebecca." I half sang as she squirmed a bit. She stopped moving and her head turned toward my voice. "We love you." She opened her eyes, a beautiful dark blue color. She cooed again and reached toward my face.

I looked up at Johnny and saw tears lining his eyes. As a nurse took Rebecca away to clean her up, Johnny helped me out of the bed. I took a hot shower and afterwards Johnny took me to the room to rest. A young nurse came in with Rebecca, wrapped snuggly in a white blanket. The nurse set her on my chest and left quietly. We looked down as she closed her eyes, tired from the experience.

"I think it's time we tell the world." Johnny said grabbing the phone.

"All right." I sighed, trading my child for the phone. Johnny cradled Rebecca in his arms gently and started talking to her quietly. I dialed the number and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Soda, it's Angelina."

"Hey! Jennifer tried to call earlier and you didn't pick up. I thought you might have gone into labor; Jennifer didn't think it was very funny though." Sodapop laughed on the other end.

"Yeah well, can I speak with her?"

"Just a moment, she's cleaning some spaghetti sauce off of Shayne" I laughed and waited for Jennifer to pick up.

"Oh my gosh I'm so glad you called! How is everything? How's the baby?" Jennifer said on the other end, eagerly awaiting for the answer.

"I'm well. A little tired but feeling great. And the baby is perfect. She's beautiful." I bit my lip, waiting for Jennifer's response.

"I'm sure she will be, just like her mother. So where were you when I called?"

"In the hospital." I waited for Jennifer, but I received silence. "I went into labor at about six this morning and now our family is one of three."

"What?! Sodapop! You were right!" I heard her yell. I could hear her fumbling with the phone. "We're on speaker." She told me.

"Congrats Angelina!" Sodapop yelled and I pulled the phone away from my ear slightly. Johnny looked over smirking and I laughed.

"We're coming to see you tomorrow." Jennifer said quickly.

"Mommy! Shayne got spaghetti in my hair!" Mary yelled.

"I'll take care of it when I get off the phone with Auntie Angelina." Jennifer sighed. "Congrats again!" Jennifer said happily.

"We're so happy for you." Sodapop told me. "See you tomorrow." I heard the phone click, and I hung up. I smiled and looked over at Johnny holding our daughter.

"Sounds exciting at the Curtis house." Johnny said walking over and swaying Rebecca slightly in his arms. He handed me her and smiled wide.

"It always is." I replied stroking her small head. A loud bang came on the door and I heard the nurse talking with someone. The door swung open and Dally came in with the nurse following behind.

"You cannot come in without permission." She gasped, flustered from Dally's forcefulness. He opened his mouth to retort until he saw us sitting together. His mouth hung open for a second as he stared until he came to his senses.

"It's alright Miss." Johnny spoke up. "I allowed him up. I'm sorry I didn't inform you." The nurse sighed, exasperated, but smiled as she left. Johnny stood up and walked over to Dally. He smiled softly at Rebecca and then up at Dally, as if looking for approval. I tilted her toward Dally slightly so he could get a better look. He walked closer and squatted by the bed.

"She's so tiny." Dally remarked, using his thumb and finger to gently stroke her hand.

"Do you want to hold her?" Johnny asked. He glanced at me and I nodded my head. Dally sat down in a chair, and Johnny took her and gently placed Rebecca in his arms. He didn't do much but look and let her lie quietly. After a few moments, she began crying softly and Dally quickly handed her back to Johnny, who then handed her to me.

"It's all right, sweetheart. Mommy's here." I cooed softly and she quieted down.

"I should be going." Dally said, hastily getting up. "See you around." He waved as he walked out the door and slammed it shut. Rebecca began crying again. I tried bouncing her in my arms but the long day was starting to catch up to me.

"I got this." Johnny said as he took her from my arms and began walking around the room. He went into a dance like pace and Rebecca quickly fell asleep. As Johnny placed her in her crib and tucked her in, I knew the bond had been struck. _Daddy and daughter._ "Holá mí hija. Mí chica mona." He cooed softly.

Johnny rolled the crib from the corner over to the head of my bed and set a chair near my feet. He slumped down tired and laid his head down with his arms on the bed. As I heard the rain begin to patter outside, he was already snoring lightly. I gazed down at Rebecca, sleeping soundly to the natural lullaby outside, and closed my eyes.


	29. What a Prize

**November 24, 1976**

Rachel POV

"Ready hun?" Ponyboy asked as we both got dressed into comfy clothes.

"I wish I could do this naturally, but as long as the baby is fine, I'll be okay." I sighed, rubbing my stomach.

"It's either a C section or trying to deliver him breech." I sighed again, looking at my husband. _Does he have to state the obvious?_

"I know. As I said, as long as he's safe, that's all that matters." I pulled my hair into a ponytail, and took Ponyboy's hand. "Let's do this." We got into the car, and Ponyboy drove to the hospital. I entered a small room, where I was prepped for surgery. A nurse put a mask over my mouth and nose and stuck an IV into my arm, and before I knew it, I was falling asleep.

When I next woke up, I was in another room and Ponyboy was sitting on a chair, holding our baby boy. As soon as he noticed I was awake, he gently placed him in my arms.

"Welcome to the world Christopher Daniel Curtis." I whispered as tears pricked at my eyes.

"I'm going to call Darry and Soda." Ponyboy said, walking down the hall to a pay phone. I rocked him gently in my arms, pain coming up from my abdomen. Ponyboy came in again and pulled a chair up next to the bed. "How are you feeling?" He asked noticing my expression. I shrugged slightly, making sure not to disturb Christopher.

"I guess pretty good after a surgery." I say looking down at Christopher. "But worth it. What a prize." I rubbed my nose against Christopher's and he gurgled. Ponyboy sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the back of his hand on Christopher's cheek.

"Mr. and Mrs. Curtis, I have something for you." A nurse came in carrying two large baskets and set them on the bed. Both had a note on the outside. One read _For the newest addition to our Curtis family_ and I knew immediately that it was from Sodapop, Jennifer, their kids, and Darry. The other said _For the new parents_ and I assumed it was from the rest of the gang.

The basket for Christopher was filled with baby supplies like onesies, bottles, pacifiers, and a couple stuffed animals and board books. The other basket had a bottle of wine, some lotion, a few nice notebooks, a photo album, and a Polaroid camera. Ponyboy took the camera right away and took a picture of Christopher and me before he took Chris from my arms and placed him in the crib.

"You did well Mama."

"Thanks Ponyboy." He opened the bottle of wine and poured some into two small Dixie cups.

"To our new family." He raised his glass.

"To our new family." We both took a sip of the wine and basked in each other's presence.


	30. Again?

**July 24, 1977**

Jennifer POV

I flushed the toilet and rinsed out my mouth, walking back to my bedroom.

"Are you okay hun?" Sodapop mumbled as he rolled over and switched on the light.

"I think it was just something I ate." I got back in bed and cuddled into Sodapop. He gently stroked my hair until I fell asleep.

"Mommy?" I opened my eyes and rolled over, finding Shayne standing right next to my bed. "I had a bad dream." I opened my arms and he jumped straight into bed.

The next morning, Sodapop and Shayne were both awake before me. There was an awful pounding in my head as I walked downstairs, and I felt dizzy by the time I got to the bottom. Sodapop was in the living room with the kids watching cartoons and I sat on the couch next to him.

"Are you feeling better, Jennifer?" He asked as I laid my head on his shoulder. I shook my head and he rested the back of his hand on my forehead. "You don't have a fever or anything." He said, more to himself than me.

"I'm going to see if we have some Tylenol or something." I sighed as I made my way to the bathroom. I opened the medicine cabinet and the first thing I saw was a box of pregnancy tests. _I didn't know we still had these._ With shaking hands, I took the box down and read the instructions. I used one of the tests and put the box and the test in the medicine cabinet.

"Okay, Daddy. You need to go to work." I said as I gave him a peck on the lips. "And would you mind driving the twins to school on your way there?" Sodapop nodded and Patrick and Mary followed him out the door. "Have a nice day! Au revoir!" I got dressed for work and did my hair and makeup and then dressed Shayne and fed him some breakfast. Before we left, I checked the test. _Positive_. I put the test in my purse, thinking about how to tell Sodapop.

I dropped Shayne off with Keith and then went to work.

"You're late." Margaret said as she curled a customer's hair.

"I'm sorry. This morning was pretty hectic." I sighed as I put my purse in my cubby and set up my beauty tools.

By the end of my shift, I was a complete mess. I was super dizzy, nauseous, and my headache had gotten worse. I checked the clock. _4:30, Angelina should be home by now._

"Can I use the phone Margaret?"

"Sure."

I went back to the break room and dialed Angelina's number.

"Hello?"

"Sorry to bother you, but I'm at the salon and I don't feel well enough to drive myself home."

"Yeah, you don't sound so good. Hang in there for fifteen minutes, okay? I'll bring Johnny so we can drive your car back."

"Thank you." We hung up and I flopped onto the couch. _I didn't feel this bad with the twins or Shayne_. I closed my eyes, trying to clear my mind.

"Is she alive?"

"She's breathing at least."

"I guess it's a good thing we came over to pick her up." I finally registered that it was a male talking.

I felt someone gently shaking my shoulder. "Wake up, Jennifer. We're going to take you home." I opened my eyes and tried to stand up, but was too dizzy to do anything. I groaned slightly and put my hand to my head.

"Dizzy." I said quietly, feeling like a child. Angelina looked from me to Johnny and back. I noticed Rebecca behind Johnny, looking around curiously.

"Come on. We parked right up by the entrance." Angelina took my purse and fished out my keys. I slowly got up and stumbled out the salon door. I ended up nearly falling on my face, so Angelina and Johnny each took me by one arm and half dragged me to the passenger side of my car. Angelina got in the driver's seat and began driving home.

"I'm pregnant." I blurted out, not wanting to hide it anymore.

"Again?" She asked.

I groaned as we went over a pothole. As we continued driving, Angelina glanced over at me nearly every time we stopped. Thankfully, Angelina was a good driver, so I didn't feel more sick.

"Here we are." Angelina pulled into my driveway and helped me out of the car. "Are you still dizzy?"

"Not as bad as before." I said as I carefully stood up. Angelina pulled one of my arms over her shoulder and walked me up the porch steps.

"Is everything okay?" Sodapop asked as he walked into the front entrance.

"Your wife was too sick to drive herself home, so Johnny and I took care of it." Angelina said simply as Sodapop took me into his arms.

"Thanks for making sure she got here safely." He said as he gave her a small hug. Angelina left and got in the car with Johnny and Rebecca. Soda lifted me in his arms and carried me up to our room and set me on the bed. He sat down next to me and felt my forehead again.

"I just don't understand it. You've never gotten this sick from food poisoning before." He said.

"I don't have food poisoning." I sighed.

"Then what do you have?"

"A baby." I said, suddenly nervous.

"A baby? What?" Sodapop stared at me and I felt even more nervous. _What if we can't afford to have another child?_

"I'm pregnant, Sodapop." I looked down at my hands, not sure how he would take this news.

"Honey, look at me." I looked into Soda's brown eyes. "I'm not mad at you. I could never be mad at you. In fact, I'm happy." He wiped a stray tear that had fallen from my eye. "When we got married, we both decided we wanted a lot of kids, and you are helping us get that dream." Sodapop pulled me into a hug and gently rubbed my back. "And there's no way in hell I'm missing this one."

"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?" I murmured as we laid down on the bed together. "I love you."

"I'm not any more amazing than you are." He said, sitting up. "Now you just rest, all right? I'll take care of dinner and the kids tonight, and I love you too." Sodapop kissed my forehead and pulled our comforter over my shoulders as I closed my eyes. As I fell asleep, I couldn't help but be thankful that I married such a wonderful man.


	31. An Easter Miracle

**March 26, 1978**

Sodapop POV

"Come here Mary. Let me fix your hair." Mary walked over to Jennifer and allowed her to brush her hair and tie a bow in it. I straightened Shayne's tie and we all walked out to the car.

"Do you kids know why today is important?" I asked, as I started the car.

"It's Easter!" Shayne yelled.

"Yes it is." Jennifer laughed then gasped quietly.

"What's wrong, Mom?" Mary asked quietly.

"Nothing dear." I pulled into the church parking lot and parked right next to Johnny and Angelina. The kids jumped out of the car and greeted their aunt, uncle, and cousin. Jennifer hung back and watched as the Cades and our kids walked into church together.

"Okay, Jennifer. Spit it out." I put one hand on her shoulder and the other on her stomach. "What's wrong?"

"Our baby is coming." She told me, resting both of her hands on top of her stomach.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Should you go to mass? We can just go home if you want and leave the kids with Ang and Johnny."

"I think I'll be fine, but we will have to play it by ear." Jennifer sighed and cringed slightly.

"All right." I said softly as I led her up to the church. We found everyone sitting right up front, and Jennifer and I sat at the end of the pew. I leaned over to Angelina. "Jennifer started having contractions on the way here, so we might have to leave in the middle of mass."

"I'm assuming you're leaving me with the kids?" She said, directing the question to both me and Jennifer.

"Well, not now." Jennifer said as the opening hymn began.

"Are you sure you can make it?" She asked concerned.

"I think so, but if you see us running off, you know what's going on." Angelina rolled her eyes and gave us a sympathetic glance.

Jennifer remained seated for the majority of the service, and I couldn't help but worry about her and the baby the whole time. As the pianist began the final song, Jennifer roughly nudged me and glanced out the door. As I grabbed her things, she leaned over and gave each of the kids a kiss on the forehead. Once out of the pew, we quickly left the church and the kids with Angelina and Johnny.

"You okay?" I helped Jennifer into the car and slammed the door.

"I will be." She sighed.

* * *

Angelina POV

"All right do we have everyone?" I asked taking Shayne's hand as the closing hymn finished.

"Auntie A, where's Mommy?" He asked putting the hymn book back.

"She went to the hospital to bring the baby home." I said to avoid any more questions, especially from Shayne.

"Up Daddy!" Rebecca said lifting her arms to Johnny. Johnny picked up Rebecca and took Mary's hand as we headed to the parking lot. I searched for our car but couldn't find it. All I saw was Sodapop's minivan.

"Soda gave me his keys." Johnny said, opening the door. Mary and Patrick jumped in and he buckled up Rebecca in the small car seat. As I got in the car Shayne jumped up on my lap. We made it to the park and I saw everyone talking. Even Dally showed up.

"Why did you steal little children from the church?" Keith called as we all walked out of the car.

"Where's Sodapop?" Steve called as the children ran over to say hi to everyone.

"He's having a baby." I absentmindedly said, making sure the kids got their Easter baskets.

"What?" Dally said. "I thought that couldn't happen..."

"He must be at the hospital with Jennifer." Darry said.

"Baby number four must be coming." Allie deducted, smiling. Darry walked over to help me with the swarm of children.

"All right. See the ribbons on your baskets? The Easter Bunny set out eggs with the same color as your ribbons. Make sure you get just those eggs. And go!"

Shayne kept a grip on my hand as he went along looking for eggs. Most of the time I had to put the eggs back because they were the wrong color. Mary and Patrick went off on their own for their colors and Ponyboy and Johnny were with Rebecca and Christopher.

"I've found twelve!" Patrick called as he lifted up another egg hidden behind a bush.

"Me too!" Mary said showing everyone her full basket.

"Wonderful!" Rachel exclaimed as Christopher and Ponyboy showed her their basket.

"Can we eat now?" Dally asked, as Becca tripped in front of him. He looked down at her as she got up and went back to happily playing.

"All right. Boys, pick your job. Babysitting or setting up?" I said.

"We should probably set up. Keith alone could eat the entire lunch before they finished." Emma said. As us girls set up the picnic, I just hoped that the new baby was doing all right.

* * *

Sodapop POV

"She's almost here, Jennifer." I said as I held my wife's hand. Jennifer gave one final push and the nurse set our daughter on her chest.

"Andrea Marie." She sighed, looking down at the baby, and then back up at me.

"She's absolutely perfect." I said, using my thumb to stroke her tiny hand.

"Do you want to cut her cord?" The nurse asked me. I nodded my head and followed her instructions. We had a few more minutes with our daughter before a nurse whisked her away to check her out. Jennifer left to take a shower and I reached for the phone. I dialed Darry's number and listened to it as it rang.

"Hello?" Keith answered the phone.

"Hey. It's Sodapop."

"How's Jennifer?"

"She's doing fine, and so is the baby." There was a moment of silence.

"The newest Curtis baby has arrived!" He screamed. There was a large amount of noise in the background and I could barely pick out who was saying what. I heard someone fighting for the phone, and finally Darry came on.

"Congrats!"

"Thanks." I said tiredly.

"So... Boy or girl?"

"Girl. Her name is Andrea Marie."

"It's a girl. Andrea Marie." Darry told everyone. There was a chorus of _awww_ s and Jennifer returned from the shower. She got back in bed and I kissed her temple. We took turns talking to the rest of the gang, and finally we were able to talk to our children.

"Can we see the baby?" Mary asked as soon as she got on the phone.

"If Auntie Ang and Uncle Johnny are okay with driving you guys over here." I said, rubbing my eyes.

I could hear Angelina in the background saying "We can go tomorrow."

"Well, I'll let you go. I love you sweetie pie." I said.

"I love you too Dad. And tell Mom and Andrea that I love them too." She hung up the phone, and I smiled as I put the phone down.

A nurse brought Andrea back into the room.

"Sorry it took so long." Jennifer nodded her head and held her arms out to hold our daughter. Andrea began making small noises and looking around the room.

"Mommy and Daddy love you." She said softly, kissing Andrea's forehead. Andrea yawned as Jennifer handed her off to me. I held her in my arms, and watched as she succumbed to sleep.

"My princess." I murmured, not quite wanting to put her in her crib yet. I looked down at her small features, in complete awe over her. Eventually, I laid Andrea in her crib and gently kissed her forehead. Jennifer was half asleep as well, so I gave her a kiss and settled into my own chair to get a bit of sleep. As I was falling asleep I couldn't help but think; _my princess is here, and she's absolutely perfect_.


	32. New Additions

**July 1, 1978**

Emma POV

"So... Are we ever going to have kids?" I choked on my bite of chicken and stared at my husband.

"Are you kidding me? I can't handle children." Keith smirked as he continued eating. "We don't need a baby in this house."

However, that night, I made the decision to go look at pets.

I smiled at Christopher as I straightened up the living room. Rachel and Ponyboy both had a busy day today, and even though they tend to work from home, it would be too much to have Christopher under their feet as well. So, I found myself babysitting him while Keith managed the store.

I figured now was a good a day as ever to look at pets.

"Come on Chris. Let's go see the kitties." I lifted my nephew out of his car seat and walked into the pet store. We walked past the squawking birds and Christopher hid his face in my shoulder. "They're not going to hurt you kiddo. Birds only hate Auntie Jennifer." I chuckled to myself, remembering all the times she's been attacked by birds.

We made it to the back of the store and an employee let us into the room with the kittens. I sat on the floor with Chris in my lap and played with a few tabby kittens nearby. Christopher crawled out of my lap and over to a tiny black and white kitten. They bonded immediately as soon as he touched its black ears. I walked over to the cat as it began licking its paw.

"Cat. Emmy. Cat!" He said, pointing to the small kitten. It stumbled over to me and sniffed my leg.

"She's cute, isn't she?" I said, bending down to scratch behind the kitten's ears.

"Cat." Chris repeated, reaching for the kitten.

"Do you want her?" An employee walked over to us. I looked over at the kitten.

"How much?" I asked, pulling my wallet out of my purse.

"$50." I pulled three twenties out of my wallet and handed it to the employee. She came back with my change, a small pet carrier, and a cart so I could buy some supplies. I set Chris in the seat and put the kitten in the carrier and placed that in the cart. We walked down the aisles and bought the cat's food bowls, litter box and litter, toys, bed, and enough cat food to last a month. I checked out and brought everything out to the car. I dropped Chris off at his parents' house before driving to my own. When we got home, I unloaded the car and brought everything inside.

"Welcome to your new home Martzia." I said taking my kitten out of her carrier. I set her on the ground and she immediately began exploring. She went over to the dining room chair and climbed on, scratching the wood with her needle claws. She hopped off and ran behind the couch and immediately got stuck, meowing, upset. I reached behind and pulled her out and put her in the spare room so she wouldn't get into too much mischief while I finished setting everything up and putting everything away.

"Emma! Come out here!" Keith called from the door. I sighed as I got up from playing with the new kitten and walked over to the front door. "Isn't he cute?" Keith gushed over a German Shepherd puppy he was holding.

"He is." I said simply, scratching behind his ears. "Where did you get him?"

"Darry's neighbor's dog had a litter of puppies. Can we keep him? Please?" Keith begged, setting the puppy on his feet.

"All right." I bent over to pet the puppy and Martzia walked over to the door.

"Who's this?"

"She's our new kitten, Martzia." I said, reaching over to pet her.

"Oh." Keith said simply. He stared and smiled as she walked over and played with the edge of his shoelace.

"So what's his name?" I asked, petting the puppy under his chin.

"Heichou."

"Bless you." I said sitting down and leaning against the couch

"No, his name is Heichou." Keith explained with Martzia continuing to play with his laces as he walked over.

"That's unique." I said as Heichou came over and started sniffing me. "It's perfect."

"I can say the same about Martzia." Keith laughed. I laughed with him and looked over at my husband and our pets. _Our family is finally complete._


	33. Back from Work

**March 3, 1979**

Johnny POV

I walked into the apartment and it was quiet. I checked the time on the clock again. _5:30, everyone should be home._

"Angelina?" I called taking off my coat. "Rebecca?" I listened for one of them to call but I heard nothing. I walked to our bedroom to change and sat on the bed. I felt the bed shift and two arms wrapped around my shoulders.

"Welcome home hon." Angelina said as she leaned against my back.

"I thought you two disappeared." I said relieved as I put my hand on top of hers. She sighed contently and kissed my cheek.

"Well Rebecca actually isn't here." She said getting up and handing me my casual shirt.

"Where is she?"

"I asked Jennifer if she could take her to the park for the day." I handed her my work shirt and changed. "But there's still two of us." She said looking up at me.

"Always baby." I said taking her hand and pulling her in. She smiled and kissed me softly.

"Thanks hon, but I meant when you came home." I looked at her confused. "I'm pregnant." I sat down on the bed and stared at her. She sat next to me and ran her fingers through my hair.

"Éste es asombroso." I finally said wrapping my arms around her. _This is amazing. Another child in the house._ I never wanted to let her go, but she insisted so she could start dinner.

"I need to eat so the baby will be healthy." I sighed but just squeezed her. "Come on Daddy let go." We both laughed and I finally released her. We got up and worked on dinner together. As we finished making the meal, I heard a knock on the front door.

"Daddy!" Rebecca said jumping into my arms as I opened the door.

"Hey Johnny, I gave her a snack a while ago but she may be hungry soon." Jennifer said as I lifted Rebecca up.

"Thanks for taking her. See you soon." I said as she walked back to her car. I helped Rebecca wash up for dinner and we went to the dining table.

"How was Aunt Jennifer and your cousins?" Angelina asked as Rebecca sat down.

"Fun! Mary played dress up with me and Aunt Jennifer."

"Great." I said setting down glasses for all of us. After dinner prayer, Rebecca continued to talk about her day at the park.

"And Andrea flied when Uncle Soda throwed her in the air." She said mimicking Sodapop's motions with her stuffed cat.

"So Rebecca, what would you think if we had someone like Andrea?" Angelina asked when Rebecca finished.

"Like a little baby?"

"Yeah. Un bebé pequeño."

"I'd be a big sister. Una hermana mayor." She smiled wide. "I like it."


	34. Silent Night

**December 12, 1979**

Angelina POV

As I walked into the preschool lobby I felt a weak contraction. _Oh dear, now?_ I looked over at the clock and groaned slightly. _Johnny finished his lunch break an hour ago._ I wouldn't be able to get him on the phone for another hour.

"Hello Mrs. Cade. Rebecca will be out shortly." The front desk lady said, smiling.

"Thank you. Could I borrow the phone please?" I asked putting my hand over my stomach.

"Oh, of course." She quickly handed me the phone, understanding immediately. I tapped my fingers nervously until I heard someone pick up.

"I need you or Rachel to look after Rebecca for me." I said urgently before Ponyboy could even finish saying _hello_.

"All right, I'll head to your house."

"Actually, I need you to go to the hospital."

"What?" I could practically see the confusion written across Ponyboy's face.

"I just started labor and I'm going driving myself to the hospital. I need you to meet me there so you can watch Rebecca."

"What? Angelina you can't drive yourself to the hospital."

"Ponyboy, I don't have that many options. I'm already away from home and I don't know if there's time for anyone to pick me up."

"All right. I'll tell Rachel and call Johnny for you."

"Thank you so much." I said handing back the phone to the receptionist. I resisted sitting down and fiddled with my scarf until Rebecca walked out of her class with her coat on.

"Mommy are we going home?" She asked as we went to the car.

"No sweetie. We're going to the hospital." I gasped buckling her in.

"Why? Am I sick?"

"No, Mom is having her baby."

"Really!" Rebecca smiled and jumped in her seat. I got in the car and started to the hospital. I was thankful Rebecca talked about her day as I drove to keep my mind off of being in labor. I pulled into the parking lot and took Rebecca by the hand. As we walked to the entrance I saw Johnny with Ponyboy, Rachel, and Christopher.

"Daddy!" Rebecca let go of my hand and ran over to Johnny. "Mommy's having her baby!" She shouted as Johnny picked her up.

"I know." Johnny said looking at me, worried. I smiled and greeted the others.

"How are you feeling?" Rachel asked as Rebecca and Chris began talking. I was about to speak when my water broke. "I guess that answers that." Rachel laughed slightly. I was glad Rachel continued to keep things light as we waited for the nurse to come.

"See you soon mommy!" Rebecca waved as she sat on Rachel's lap. I waved back as the nurse took us to the room. I looked up at Johnny and rubbed his hand in mine.

"Don't worry. We've done this before." He looked down and smiled. We got to the room and began. We had the same doctor as before and she smiled as the labor continued.

"All right Angelina, time to pull him out."

"Pull?" Johnny asked confused.

"Yes. Lean over and pull him out." I opened my eyes and saw what the doctor meant. I let go of Johnny's hand, put my hands around my baby, and pulled him out on to my chest.

"Wow." Johnny gasped as I laid back. I smiled and rubbed my hand over my baby's soft, black hair.

"Hello Matthew."

"He was a quick little buddy." Johnny said.

"Really? I couldn't tell." I half laughed and Johnny laughed too.

I got washed up and this time Johnny was waiting for me in the room with Matthew. I got into bed and Johnny passed him to me as he sat down.

"I asked the nurse to fetch the others. Rebecca may be asleep and I think Ponyboy and Christopher left by now." He said yawning. I heard a small tap on the door and it quietly opened. The nurse came in with Rachel carrying Rebecca. I laughed slightly as they walked in.

"She insisted staying to meet her baby brother." Rachel sighed as Johnny took Rebecca from her.

"Is he here yet daddy?" Rebecca mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Yes he is chica." Johnny laid Rebecca next to me so she could look at Matthew. He opened his eyes and stared at Rebecca.

"This is Matthew, Rebecca." I said looking at them together.

"Hi Matthew. I'm your big sister Rebecca." She said quietly. Before she could she say anything else, she was out like a light.

"I'll get a blanket for her." The nurse said turning to walk out.

"Gracias." Johnny said as I passed my hand over Rebecca's hair. After she came back with the blanket, I looked up and saw that Rachel was gone. As the nurse left there wasn't a sound anywhere as we all sat on the bed.

"Silent night." I sang, the notes echoing slightly in the room.

"Holy night." Johnny joined in.

"All is calm, all is bright..." We sang together as Matthew began to doze off.

"Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace." I whispered and gently kissed his head. Johnny brought the crib over and placed Matthew in it. He pulled a chair up to my bed like last time and sighed as he dropped his head.

"Estoy muy cansado." He sighed.

"Pero estás muy contento." He smiled and sleepily nodded his head. As we all began to drift to sleep, I almost thought I saw snow falling through the window.


	35. Give Thanks

**November 27, 1980**

Mary POV

"You just keep getting prettier every time I see you!" Uncle Darry said as I took his jacket and put it in the closet.

"Where's Allie?" Dad asked.

"She couldn't make it tonight. She has to work and then she's going to visit her dad." Uncle Darry explained as he sat down in the living room. I went to the kitchen.

"Do you need any help, Mom?"

"I think your aunts and I got everything covered. Why don't you go play with your cousins?" I walked out and I could hear Aunt Emma making a joke and everyone laughing. There was a knock on the door afterward.

"Hey Dal." My dad said as he opened the door. He was holding Andrea on his hip and she smiled happily.

"Sodapop." He acknowledged. I still have no idea what to call Dallas Winston. Mr. Winston is too formal, but Uncle just didn't feel right. Sure, I called Uncle Steve and Uncle Keith my uncles even though they aren't related to me, but it's because they told me to. Dally never said anything about what I should call him, so for ten years I haven't been calling him anything. I stood next to my dad and grabbed his hand to get his attention.

"What is it sweetheart?" He bent down.

"What should I call Dallas?"

"Dally is fine by me." Dally said. _I didn't know he could hear me._

"Okay... Dally." He went to the kitchen and took a bottle of beer from the fridge before sitting on the couch with Uncle Johnny, Uncle Keith, and Uncle Darry.

"Uncle Ponyboy!" Shayne yelled as he ran over to tackle him.

"Hi Little Man and hello Miss Mary." Aunt Rachel walked in holding Christopher's hand. He smiled and pulled from Aunt Rachel.

"All right go play. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." She said giving him a kiss. I giggled as I led Christopher to our play room where Rebecca and Patrick were.

"Hi Becca." Christopher said, sitting down next to her.

"Hi Chris. Want to play a game with us?" Chris nodded his head and we all sat down in a circle and began a game of uno. After a few minutes, Shayne joined us so we had to restart the game.

"Dinner's ready." Mom called up the stairs. We all washed our hands and returned downstairs. Matthew was already sitting in his high chair between Aunt Angelina and Uncle Johnny and Aunt Angelina had just opened a jar of baby food to give to him. Rebecca took her seat between Uncle Johnny and Dally. Uncle Darry sat at the head of the table and Uncle Steve sat to his left. Dad sat next to Uncle Steve and they were both cracking each other up. I sat down between Patrick and Shayne and Mom set Andrea in her booster seat between her and Shayne.

"Darry, do you want to lead us in grace?" Aunt Angelina asked. Uncle Darry nodded his head and we all joined hands and bowed our heads.

"Lord we thank you for the many blessings you have given us. We thank you for allowing us to be together on this special holiday and we especially thank you for the reasons we are about to say." We all took that as our cue to lift up our heads and think of something to say we are thankful for. "I'm thankful that all of us can be together as a family." Uncle Darry said after a pause.

"That we all made it through this year safely." Uncle Steve said. Everyone nodded their heads and smiled.

"For my beautiful wife and our wonderful family." Dad announced, looking down the table at Mom. She turned a little pink and smiled back at Dad.

"Thank you for my teammates and coach." Patrick said.

"I'm thankful for my life and the lives of all around me." Dad reached behind Patrick and squeezed my shoulder, and Mom was smiling.

"For Mommy and Daddy and Patrick and Mary and Andrea and Uncle Darry and Uncle Ponyboy and Uncle Johnny and Aunt Angelina and Auntie Em and Aunt Rachel..."

"For everyone." My baby sister interrupted, smiling at everyone around the table.

"Hey. I wasn't done yet. And Uncle Steve and Uncle Keith and all my cousins and him." Shayne pointed at Dally. "And Mommy... Wait, I already said that. Hm. I think I'm done." We all laughed.

"All right little buddy." Dad laughed.

"I'm thankful for all of us being together." My mom said, glancing around the table.

"That Jennifer hasn't tripped and killed herself this year." Aunt Em said, giggling. We all laughed. My mom was definitely quite clumsy.

"The year isn't over yet." Uncle Keith said.

"Oh hush." Aunt Emma laughed.

"For my mom and sister and my wife." Uncle Keith said simply.

"I'm thankful that my books have been doing so well." Uncle Ponyboy said happily.

"For my parents" Christopher said, looking left and right between his parents.

"Thanks for my promotion as chief editor at work." We all clapped happily, since this was the first time any of us heard of us heard of Aunt Rachel's promotion.

"I'm thankful all that God has given me." Aunt Angelina looked over at Matthew, Uncle Johnny and Rebecca.

"Dada!" Matthew called out. Everyone stopped, and Aunt Angelina and Uncle Johnny gasped.

"Did you just say dada?" Uncle Johnny asked, with tears in his eyes. He tousled Matthew's dark hair and kissed his forehead. "I'm thankful for my children and wife."

"For the sun and music!" Becca said happily. The adults chuckled slightly, but I knew I was thankful for those things as well.

We all waited for Dally to say something "I'm not in jail." He smirked. It was hard to miss the look that Mom directed at him and he shrank back in his seat a little. "Let's eat." He announced quickly as we began passing dishes.

"So, who's pregnant?" Dally asked.

"What?" My dad nearly choked and dropped his silverware.

"Every time I come to one of these events, one of you are either pregnant or just had a baby." Dally drawled.

"Well I'm definitely not pregnant." Aunt Rachel said.

"I have Keith. Isn't that enough?" Aunt Em laughed.

"I'm not." Aunt Ang said simply while spooning some sweet potatoes into Matthew's mouth.

"Yeah, and I'm not sure of Sodapop and I could even take on another kid. Four is a handful." Mom said as she cut up Andrea's food. She looked over and winked at me.

"So how's that new book going Ponyboy?" Aunt Angelina asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

"I'm having a bit of writer's block right now, but it will go away eventually." Uncle Ponyboy said. Aunt Angelina nodded and we all returned to eating. There was little conversation except for when people complimented Mom and my aunts about the food.

Dally lit up a cigarette after dinner when the men all sat down in the living room with their beers.

"Hey, no smoking in the house." Mom called from in the kitchen. "There are children here. If you must smoke go outside, Dallas." Dally rolled his eyes and walked outside.

"How does she do that?" Uncle Keith whispered to Dad.

"She has four kids. She has had plenty of time to perfect her mothering. And then there's the fact that she is kind of like my mom, and Dally could never say no to my mom." Andrea crawled into Dad's lap and laid her head against his chest. "Did you get enough to eat, princess?" Andrea nodded her head sleepily. I sat next to Dad and laid my head on his shoulder. He pressed a kiss on my forehead as I closed my eyes. I began drifting in and out of sleep.

"I got her Soda." Uncle Ponyboy offered.

"No carry me!" Shayne yelled.

"Come on beautiful." Uncle Darry lifted me in his arms and began carrying me upstairs. He set me on my bunk and pulled the blanket over my shoulders. Shortly after, I fell asleep, not even noticing when Mom and Dad came in to kiss me good night.


	36. Movie Night

**January 13, 1981**

Darry POV

The doorbell rang as I put the popcorn in a bowl. I opened the door and then my arms for Allie. She walked into my arms and I closed the door behind her. When I let go she went to the couch and I grabbed the bowl.

"Here you go."

"Thanks darling!" She said, kissing me as I sat down. I kissed her back and turned on the television. We started eating as we waited for the movie to start and talked about the day. As the opening credits ended, Allie made herself comfortable next to me.

"It's been awhile since we've been together." I commented as Allie nestled into my chest.

"What's it been, two weeks?" She asked, playing with the blanket I pulled over us.

"I think so. And it will be nine years we've been together in a few months."

"So what do you want to do for our anniversary?" I thought about that as the camera view shifted to a chapel.

"We should get married." I sighed, covering my mouth as soon as the words came out. _Damn it. I probably should not have said that._

"What?" Allie stared at me and I simply stared back. "Was that supposed to be a proposal, Curtis?" I couldn't read her expression. I dropped my hand and bit my lip slightly. Allie looked back to the television, her mouth down slightly. _Oh man, what did I do?_

"Wait right here." I said pushing off the blanket. When I couldn't see Allie I started running up to my room. I went to my closet and took a shoebox off the top shelf. I removed the top and grabbed a tiny box out of it. _Here we go._ I slowly walked back into the living room and sat down, opening the box and presenting it to Allie.

"It's beautiful, Darry." Allie breathed.

"It was my mom's." I explained simply, taking the gold ring out of the box as the diamond sparkled brightly.

"You kept it?" She gasped.

"I have my father's upstairs too. But more importantly, Alexandra Jackson, will you marry me?" She put her hands over her mouth and smiled.

"Of course." Allie said as I slid the ring on her finger. I kissed her gently. "When should it be?" She asked admiring the ring on her finger.

"The day I first met you ten years ago." I responded. I took Allie's small hand in mine and we continued to watch the movie, talking about tentative wedding plans during the commercial breaks. As the movie ended, I took the now empty popcorn bowl to the kitchen. Allie followed me in and made herself a glass of water.

"Wasn't that a good ending to the movie?"

"Yeah, but not as good as our new beginning."


	37. Country Wedding

**October 5, 1981**

Darry POV

I was tightening my tie just as a pair of hands covered my eyes.

"Guess who!" Allie's voice said. I laughed and took her hands from my eyes. She reached over and set my hat on my head. "You look spiffy." I turned around and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"You look so beautiful. Yellow really suits you." She wore a flower headpiece on top of her blonde pixie cut and I could feel the roughness of the lace of her dress on my fingertips. I looked down at her brown cowboy boots and smiled.

"And your cowboy hat makes you look so handsome." Allie replied. "I'm happy we decided on a farm wedding."

"Me too, dear." I sighed.

"Allie? I found the eye shadow palette I wanted!" Jennifer called. Allie laughed and rolled her eyes.

"You're lucky you don't have Jennifer chasing you around with eyeliner and lipstick all day." Allie joked as Jennifer showed her the palette.

"Definitely. You don't need it anyway; you are just as pretty without it." Allie smiled slightly as she left my arms.

"I should go. I'll see you at the wedding." As Allie skipped away, Sodapop and Ponyboy walked in.

"For he's a jolly good fellow! That's getting married today!" Sodapop sang at the top of his lungs.

"It's about time." Ponyboy joked as he tied his tie.

"She's a lucky lady." Soda said as he retrieved his hat. "And your wedding theme is awesome."

"Yup. I just can't wait to see her coming down with her dad." I sighed. Sodapop patted my back and we all walked towards the gazebo.

"Hello again Darrell." The pastor said shaking my hand. "A lovely day, isn't it?" I nodded and took a breath as the rest of Allie's and my family came to their seats.

"You mean a lot to Alex." Mark said, walking up with his wife.

"And she means a lot to me." I looked over as my section filled up. Keith gave me a thumbs up and Angelina smiled next to Jennifer and all the kids.

Finally, the music signaled the beginning of the procession. My brothers escorted Allie's cousins down the aisle, one on each arm.

As Allie walked down the aisle with her dad, I took in a deep breath and sighed, a smile finding its way to my lips. _This is it._ Her dad kissed her cheek and shook my hand before finding his seat.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Darrell Curtis and Alexandra Jackson through the sacrament of Holy Matrimony."

As we were saying our vows, I choked up slightly and coughed to try to cover it up. Allie smirked slightly and squeezed my hands.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." I looked over as Allie jumped up and wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around her as she finished kissing me and held her. As everyone cheered I dipped one hand under her legs and started carrying her down the aisle.

"I'm married!" She shouted, throwing her bouquet to her side of the family and tossing her headpiece to my side.

I carried her to the upper level of the barn and we watched through a window as our family gathered in.

"My mother would be so happy." She sighed, looking toward the clouds.

"Mine too." I heard Paul II talking downstairs to everyone and we got ready for our cue. As they all clapped, we walked through the saloon doors and everyone started tossing flower petals at us. We reached the cake and cut each other a piece. After Allie fed it to me she painted my lips with frosting. We then sat down for dinner. I felt a tug on my shirt sleeve and looked over at Mary holding Allie's head piece.

"Come here, Mary." Allie said before I could speak. She took the head piece from her and placed on Mary's head. "It doesn't matter how long. When it's right, you'll find him." Mary beamed, hugged Allie, and then ran back to her family.

"All righty folks!" The country singer said into his microphone. "We have a special request but I'm gonna need some help. Gentlemen." Andrew and Mark stood up and went to the front of the stage.

"Thanks. Now what we're going to do now is a family favorite. But don't you worry, you'll pick up soon enough." Andrew said motioning to Sodapop and the rest. Everyone stood up and band started playing a square dance. Early on, my side was floundering, with Keith stepping on Emma's feet every few seconds and Jennifer kept landing on her ass, but soon we all got the hang it.

"This was the song playing when my father met my mother." Allie said as we finished up the final command.

"No wonder he was smiling so wide." I looked over as Sodapop waved at me, carrying Andrea in the other arm. "I'll be right back."

"Everyone had a ball bro." He said. Jennifer nodded, holding Shayne's hand and walking with the rest to their cars.

"I'm glad. I'll see you in a while." I watched them leave and said goodbye to Allie's family.

"Welcome to the family." Paul III said shaking my hand.

"Thank you." He gave Allie a long hug and then waved as he walked. Soon everyone was gone and it was a just me and Allie. We walked to our room in the bed and breakfast and I laid my hat on the bedside table.

"Wow." Allie sighed as I laid down on the bed.

"Quite a day huh?"

"Yep." She sat on the bed and rolled into my arm. "I love you darling."

"You too." I sighed, already falling asleep.


	38. Martha

**February 20, 1985**

Darry POV

Ring. Ring.

"Hello?" I picked up the phone and sat down in my arm chair while Allie fed Martha her bottle.

"Hey, Darry. We're all coming over in about an hour to meet the newest addition...and to help you guys out." Sodapop finished. _I guess that was Jennifer talking to him._

"Sodapop, I don't think we're ready to have anyone over yet..." However, before I could finish my sentence, he hung up the phone.

"Gang's coming over?" Allie asked simply as she burped Martha.

"Yup." I got back up and started picking up the place a bit.

"You don't need to do that darling." She said after Martha spit up on the burp rag. "We aren't having a party."

"I know but if everyone is coming over, we don't need a bigger mess later." I sighed sitting next to Allie, gazing at Martha in her arms. "They're just excited to meet Martha." She passed Martha to me and I cradled her.

"She is worth everything that we've been through." Allie said, laying her head against my arm. _Yes she is._

I heard someone rapping at the door, and the sound of my brother and his wife talking to each other. Allie walked over and opened the door, and I saw Jennifer, Sodapop, and three of their kids walk inside. Jennifer was carrying a few casserole dishes and immediately put them in my fridge.

"Mary helped me make a few casseroles. These should cover dinners for a couple weeks." She explained while looking around the kitchen. "Where do you keep your cleaning things?" She opened the broom closet and immediately pulled out a couple rags and cleaning solution.

"Jennifer, you don't have to do that..." Allie trailed off.

"I want to. I remember being a first time mom." Jennifer said simply as she poured some of the solution in a bucket and filled the rest with water. "Mary, so you mind helping me out?" Mary nodded her head and walked over to her mother for further instruction. I walked into the living room as my brother and his younger son and daughter followed me.

"So where's Patrick?"

"Baseball conditioning." Soda answered simply. "For being adopted, she sure looks like you." He commented, peering at my daughter's face. I handed him the baby and he held her gently. "Welcome to the family."

Mary walked in shortly after with a feather duster and began dusting the family room.

"You don't have to do that. I can clean my own house." I smiled. "How about you come over here and meet your new cousin." Mary smiled and sat down on the couch. Sodapop placed Martha into her arms.

"She's so small." Shayne commented before getting up and running outside. Sodapop laughed and shook his head.

"Boys will be boys."

"Ain't that the truth. I wonder how mom and dad put up with all of us sometimes." I looked over at my other niece. "What do you think, Andrea?"

"She's pretty. What's her name again?"

"Martha." As soon as I said that, there was a knock on the door and Martha began crying.

Mary handed her back to me and I rocked her as I walked her around the room. I searched for a pacifier, but couldn't find one. Finally, Martha's cried subsided.

"Hey." Ponyboy said softly, trying not to disturb Martha.

"Hey Ponyboy. Glad you could make it." I replied. "This is Martha." I looked down at my daughter.

"She's so tiny." Ponyboy remarked.

"Still bigger than all of Sodapop's kids though." I replied.

"But she's smaller than Chris was. How big is she anyway?"

"Eight pounds five ounces and twenty two inches at birth." I smiled.

"You have those numbers memorized." Ponyboy laughed.

"Well I'm sure all parents do."

"True."

"Do you want to hold her?" He shook his head.

"I don't want to disturb her."

"Okay. Well, sit down and make yourself at home." I said.

"Darry, this place was my home for twenty something years." Ponyboy laughed, sitting on the floor. He looked over at Rachel and Chris, who were heading toward Allie, and sighed slightly.

"I'm so proud of you." Rachel told Allie as she hugged her. "You're so strong to do this after finding out you couldn't have your own kids." _Ain't that the truth. I had trouble even smiling for the gang after we visited the doctors._

"So are you sugar." She responded. "That must have been a lot to handle after having Chris."

"It was, but at least I have him." Rachel rested her hand on her son's shoulder. "And I would go through that whole thing all over again. He was -and is- completely worth it." _You can say that again._ I looked down at our gift from the tedious adoption process. _You were worth every second._

"Can I see?" I looked up to my youngest nephew, Christopher, edging closer to the baby. I bent down so he could see Martha's face. He reached over and touched her small hand.

"She's very pretty."

"Thanks kiddo." I smiled. "Do you want to hold her?" Christopher nodded his head and I sat him down on the couch. Allie showed him how to hold his arms and I gently placed Martha in my nephew's arms. I glanced out the window and noticed Johnny and his family walking up the front walk. He noticed me and waved. The Cades walked into the house and Angelina gave Allie a quick hug before going into the kitchen to deposit her two casseroles and help Jennifer out.

"Congrats Darry." Johnny said as he gazed at Martha in Christopher's arms. "You must be proud." I smiled a little and watched Matthew sit next to Christopher.

"What do you think?" Johnny asked his son.

"She looks a little like Aunt Allie." Angelina returned from the kitchen with Jennifer in tow.

"How are you doing?" She asked me and Allie.

"Thankfully, not too tired. Martha's just been an angel." Allie gushed as she took our daughter from Christopher's arms.

"That's a beautiful name." Angelina smiled.

"It was my mother's name." Allie explained. "We named her Martha Mary after our mothers."

"I'm sure they're both looking down on you, prouder than ever."

"I hope so." I smiled, glancing up as if I would see my mother's face on the ceiling. Rebecca stood by her mother and stood on her tiptoes, trying to see the baby.

"Here darlin'. Sit down in the armchair and you can hold her." Allie said as she led Becca over. She showed her how to hold her arms and then gently placed Martha in Rebecca's arms.

"She's so small." Rebecca commented.

"Someday she'll be as big as you." Rebecca smiled and I let her hold the new baby for a little while longer before I took Martha into my arms and cradled her. I looked over to find Jennifer leading Steve into the living room.

"Look baby girl. It's your Uncle Steve." Steve walked over and gently rubbed the top of her head. Martha's face scrunched up slightly as she cried. Steve immediately took a few steps back. "It's nothing you did. She's just overwhelmed and tired." I explained quickly. Steve nodded and sat next to Sodapop on the couch.

"Hey everyone!" Keith called as he walked in the house alone, causing Martha to whimper. I talked lightly to Martha so she could calm down.

"Hey Keith, where's Emma?" Jennifer asked as she hugged him.

"She isn't feeling well, so Emma is at home snuggling with our fur-kids. But more importantly, Superman has a little baby." I rolled my eyes as Keith nearly bounced over to see Martha. "Hello there little one. I'm your Uncle Keith." Martha looked up curiously and he started making his signature baby faces. She began to whimper again, and he backed off. Allie must have gotten ears like a hawk after we got Martha because she quickly came over to check on us.

"She's just had a long day." I assured, bouncing her slightly.

"Well I know how this much attention can wear you out." He joked, slicking back his hair like a movie star. Allie smiled slightly but Steve lightly punched him. He sat down just as Dally open the door.

"Uncle Dal!" Matthew yelled excitedly as he walked in.

"Hey, kid." Dally spoke, ruffling Matthews hair as he ran back to his parents. "Ang, you and your family are looking well."

"And you're looking well yourself. Managing to stay out of trouble?" She responded, smiling as usual. Dally and I caught eyes and he started over toward me and Allie, her glowing as she looked at Martha.

"So Darry finally got around to having a kid." He said standing in front of us.

"Her name's Martha." Allie gushed.

"Martha. I knew a Martha back in New York. Remarkable lady."

"Do you want to hold her?" I asked Dally.

"Me? The only baby I've ever held was Becca." He dismissed, backing up slightly.

"You've held Matthew, and I'm sure you've held all of Soda's kids at one time or another." Johnny said. I got up and motioned for Dally to sit in the chair. He sat down and I placed Martha in his arms.

"She's beautiful Darry." He said as she yawned and stretched. "You're going to be busy chasing guys away from her when she gets older." Dally gave the baby back to me and smiled.

Allie POV

I touched Darry's shoulder and he passed of Martha to me.

"I think it's time for a nap." I whispered as I took her upstairs. The door swung open quietly and I rocked Martha slightly as she yawned again. "You've had a long day baby cakes." I hummed my mother's favorite lullaby as I set her in her new crib. Once she fell asleep I lightly pecked her forehead and turned on the baby monitor.

"There you are." Darry said, coming up the steps. "Rachel just asked where you disappeared to. Asleep?" He asked, noticing the closed door

"Yeah. And I think that means the party's over." I replied heading back downstairs. "All right everyone. Thank you for the visit but the fun's all done. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here." Everyone looked over at me, confused, until Jennifer spoke up.

"Don't you need any more help?"

"No. The best help you can give is letting us have some peace and quiet. Thanks for coming gang." Darry said, shaking goodbye to Steve who already got up.

"All right. You three have a good evening." Ponyboy said, gesturing for Chris it was time to go. As everyone left, the house was silent, the only buzz coming from the monitor.

"So, what do you want to do?" Darry asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"Sleep."

"Good idea." We both went upstairs but before we went to our room, we gave one more kiss to our new pride and joy.


	39. A New Year

**Darry 54**

 **Two-Bit 52**

 **Emma 52**

 **Dally 51**

 **Angelina 51**

 **Soda 51**

 **Steve 50**

 **Johnny 50**

 **Jennifer 50**

 **Rachel 49**

 **Ponyboy 49**

 **Allie 49**

 **Patrick and Mary 29**

 **Shayne 25**

 **Rebecca 23**

 **Christopher 23**

 **Andrea 21**

 **Matthew 20**

 **Martha 14**

 **December 31, 1999**

Darry POV

"Hi Uncle Darry and Aunt Allie." Mary smiled as she opened the door to Jennifer and Sodapop's house. "Hey Martha." My daughter smiled shyly at her cousin, and twirled a lock of her curly blonde hair.

"You're looking well. I'm sure you and Adam are excited for the new addition." I said as my niece rested her hand over her large pregnant belly.

"Just a couple more weeks and he's going to be here." Mary gushed. "We couldn't be more excited. Adam just finished the nursery two weeks ago." I smiled as I hung our jackets in the closet. Allie pecked me on the cheek before walking into the kitchen to see if Jennifer needed any help.

"There's my favorite model!" Andrea called, walking into the room in a multicolored floor length skirt and white top. "How are you doing, Martha?" Andrea's long blonde dyed hair just grazed her waist and she leaned down to give Martha a hug. "The pictures from the last photo shoot turned out wonderfully. Mom really outdid herself with your hair and makeup. If those don't get me an A for my end of term project, I don't know what will."

"If you're this great now, I can't imagine how amazing you'll be when you finish school." Martha beamed, it was quite obvious that she felt closest to Andrea out of all her cousins. An African American man with dreadlocks came up behind Andrea and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Devin, this is my Uncle Darry and cousin Martha. Uncle Darry and Martha, this is my boyfriend Devin."

"Nice to meet you." I smiled, reaching to shake his hand.

"You too sir."

"Dinner is going to be ready in a couple minutes!" Jennifer called from the kitchen. We all migrated to the dining room, where there were about thirty chairs set around the main table, with two folding tables acting to extend the main table.

I sat at the head of the table, with Allie sitting to my left. Martha sat next to her mother.

"Mind if I sit next to you?" Andrea asked Martha, gently bumping her arm. Martha shook her head and Andrea sat next to her with Devin on her other side. Keith sat next to Devin with Emma on his other side.

Jennifer walked into the room attempting to carry two large bowls of chicken piccata. She just barely managed not to trip as she set the bowls on either side of the table. Mary came behind her mother, carrying a basket of rolls. Jennifer sat next to Emma, and Mary seated herself next to her mother, with her husband on her other side. Patrick sat next to Adam and Donna, his fiancée, sat on his other side. Shayne's girlfriend, Darlene sat next to Donna, after setting down the bowls of steamed veggies and salad.

"Shayne should be on his way soon Mrs. Curtis." Darlene said.

"Darlene, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Jennifer?" Jennifer smiled. "We'll leave a seat open for him next to you. I guess this is part of the struggle when your son is a cop." Jennifer sighed.

Sodapop walked in the room, carrying a serving tray of ribs. He left an empty chair between Darlene and himself as he sat down at the foot of the table. Dally sat between Johnny and Sodapop. Stephanie sat next to Johnny, with Matthew on her other side. They weren't officially a couple yet, but we all knew it would happen soon. Angelina sat in between her son and daughter after she set a bowl of garlic mashed potatoes on the table. Rebecca's best friend and Chris's girlfriend, Michelle, sat next to Becca with Christopher on her other side. Rachel sat next to Chris and Ponyboy sat between Rachel and me.

We began piling food on our plates, talking casually about school and work.

"So how's your residency going, Mary?" Ponyboy asked as he spooned some mashed potatoes on his plate.

"It's going well. And now I'm getting a chance to see and OB/GYN's job from the patient's perspective too. I just can't wait until I can finally start practicing next year." Mary smiled. We heard the front door close and Shayne appeared, still wearing his police officer's uniform. He walked over to his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Sorry I'm late, Mom." He quickly found his empty seat between his father and girlfriend.

"I'm just happy you could make it." Jennifer smiled.

"So how are things in the field there Shayne?" Steve asked.

"Not too bad. But I was expecting to spot Fred as I finished my round." He teased Rebecca he began pilling on the food to his plate.

"Yeah. You know how much she like the rebellious types." Dally joined in. Rebecca just rolled her eyes.

"Of course, Uncle Dally. I got that from you. But seriously, we agreed that he needed to spent tonight with his family. We're going to spend some time tomorrow after I finish writing lesson plans."

"Yeah. But means I can't sleep in because you'll be moving around." Michelle mock complained.

"Oh, enough. You're such a heavy sleeper you could sleep through a tornado." Rebecca laughed. Christopher joined in.

"Maybe you and Fred want to do a double date with me and Michelle tomorrow?" Chris asked. "After you finish your lesson plans of course."

"Sure." Rebecca smiled.

"Speaking of school, have you decided what you're going to major in, Matthew?" Allie asked.

"Probably engineering." Matthew said simply.

"If you need any help with the coursework, I'm always here." Patrick offered. He had received his bachelors in engineering and finished a masters in business. He works with his father and uncle in their auto repair shop.

"Thanks Patrick." Matthew smiled. We continued talking and laughing as we ate dinner. As dinner ended, Jennifer and Emma began clearing plates as we all moved into the living room.

"Here, Mom, let me help you." Andrea said, taking half of Jennifer's stack of plates. Jennifer smiled in acknowledgement.

Mary sat down on the fireplace hearth next to her husband. Allie and I sat in the love seat and Martha sat on the floor in front of us.

"There's room up here hun, are you sure you want to sit on the floor?" I rubbed my daughter's shoulder.

"I'm comfortable here, Dad." Martha said simply, placing her hand over mine. "Besides, we would get a bit squished if I sat up with you." I nodded as my daughter leaned her back against my shins.

"Uncle Dally, you're sitting on my skirt." I heard Rebecca complain. I looked over to one of the couches and saw Johnny, Angelina, Dally, and Becca squished together.

"Sorry." Dally said, half standing up so Rebecca could gather her skirt again. I watched as Soda and Steve sat on the other couch, joking around slightly like they did when they were sixteen. Michelle and Chris sat on the floor by Becca, and the three of them talked quietly together. Rachel and Ponyboy turned around the two armchairs that faced the fire place so they could be facing the rest of the group.

"I saved a spot for you over here, Em." Keith said from the old bean bags in the corner of the room.

"How on earth are we going to get up from those things? I'm not twenty anymore Keith." Emma asked. Nevertheless, she sat down in the other beanbag with her husband. Jennifer finally emerged from the kitchen and took a seat next to her husband. The rest of our adult children sat on the floor around the room.

For a moment my eyes went blurry as I continued to look around the room and they shocked me. For mere seconds, we were all thirty-some years younger, back to the first night we ate together. Jennifer's hair grew ten inches and Sodapop was back in his blue DX shirt. Johnny's shirt morphed into his old jean jacket and Keith returned to being Two-Bit with a wrinkled Mickey shirt on.

"Earth to Darry." Someone said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I shook my head slightly as I returned to the present.

"What were you thinking about?" Allie asked me.

"Just the first time we had a meal together." I replied. "Back in the summer of '65."

"What happened that summer anyway?" Andrea asked. "You guys mention little things about it, but always catch yourself before you really start talking about it."

"It's a long story, Princess." Sodapop said. "But I think you're all ready to hear about it now."

"Hear about what, Dad?" Martha quietly asked me.

"How we met your aunts." I said simply.

"The summer of 1965 was unforgettable to say the least." Jennifer smiled.

"What happened, Mom?" Rebecca asked, eying her aunts.

"We should probably just start from the beginning." Angelina said. "Your aunts and I ran away from our homes in Chicago." I watched as the children's eyes became wide.

"Why didn't you ever tell us, Mom?" Patrick asked.

"We all made a pact to run away together, and we hitch hiked all the way down to Tulsa." Jennifer turned to her younger daughter. "Now don't you try that. Things are a lot more dangerous now than they were back then. We were lucky we didn't get hurt or worse when we hitchhiked." Andrea silently laughed and rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. No hitch hiking."

"Yeah, and one morning I woke up to Darry screaming at someone, so I made my way downstairs and found four strange girls in my living room with Darry red in the face." Sodapop piped in. "The girls went away for the day and next we heard of them was later that evening. Angelina came running to our house, completely out of breath and said there were people attacking her sister and friends."

"Attacking? Why?" Christopher asked.

"We're still not completely sure." Rachel said. "They were harassing us on the street and then things got a bit out of hand. Ponyboy invited us girls to dinner at the Curtis's home and we met the rest of the gang there. Next morning we went house hunting while Jennifer was at work since we didn't want to live on the streets. We found a really nice house and Emma stepped outside to check out the backyard." Emma chuckled slightly.

"I laid in the grass and took a nap. Next thing I knew, I was in a car with Jennifer slumped next to me." She said quietly. "She was unconscious, and the guy driving the car was the leader in the gang of guys who attacked us the previous night. He said he used chloroform on Jennifer."

"What the hell?!" Shayne suddenly yelled. "That is illegal on all sorts of levels. They should have been arrested."

"We drove to a wooded area and I managed to tuck and roll out of the car, pulling Jennifer with me. I dragged her into the woods and she woke up, but was so out of it I ended up giving her a piggyback ride to our resting spot in the middle of no where." Emma continued.

"We fell asleep, only to be woken up by the gang of guys." Jennifer sighed. "Next thing I knew, I was waking up in a basement next to Emma." Shayne narrowed his eyes.

"We were going crazy at home." Angelina interrupted. "When we found out Emma disappeared, we found a set of keys with a keychain that signified a soc gang called the Black Stingrays. Rachel did some sleuthing and found out a home that a key was connected to, so we all decided to check it out."

"We had to fight against a bunch of Stingrays to finally get to our friends." Rachel continued. "But after three days of them being missing, Ang and I were willing to do anything to find them again. When we finally got to Emma and Jennifer, both were not in great shape. Emma needed stitches and had a few broken ribs."

"Jennifer wasn't exactly so lucky though." Angelina sighed. "Her knee was super messed up and it looked like she had a really bad concussion. I remember screaming when I saw her, and then Soda basically forced me to let him and Steve carry Jennifer to the car to take her to the hospital." Angelina laughed slightly.

"The whole ride there I was constantly checking on Jennifer. I must have looked like a madman when I carried her into the emergency waiting area." Soda smiled.

"Angelina was a nervous wreck in the waiting room." I finally jumped in. "She was pacing everywhere. If it wasn't for Johnny distracting her by taking her to the gift shop, I think she would have gone crazy."

"Well I was nervous to see Jennifer. They took so long with her since she was so busted up." Angelina sighed. "And every second longer they took, my nervousness only got worse. When they finally said I could visit her, you wouldn't believe how relieved I was. But she looked horrible when I walked into the room."

"I remember you giving me that music box and necklace." Jennifer smiled, fingering that necklace's replica. She turned to her daughters. "Remember that pretty music box with the mirror I used to let you play with?" Both nodded. "Your Aunt Angelina gave it to me that night."

"And then I came in to see you." Sodapop wrapped his arm around his wife. "And I was so happy to know you were alive."

"Emma was pretty easy to take care of after I took her home." Keith said, smiling. "All I had to do was give her pain medicine and make sure her stitches were clean. The rest of the time she slept."

"When Jennifer finally got out of the hospital, it was the same day that we were to sign the papers to our house." Emma said. "And everyone was giddy that we were together again, even if Jennifer was in a wheelchair." She paused for a second. "I have so many good memories of that house." She smiled.

"And then the girls invited us over to dinner." Ponyboy smiled, reaching to hold Rachel's hand. "And we decided we needed to give them lessons on defending themselves."

"Fighting lessons? Why?" Andrea asked.

"I was harassed by a couple drunk Stingrays when I was at work." Angelina sighed. "Thank God for my manager kicking them out or else I wouldn't have known what to do."

"Mom..." It was difficult to read Becca's tone.

"Soda and I went on our first date after our little dinner party." Jennifer smiled dreamily. "We saw The Sound of Music and then decided to start going steady."

"After one date?" Allie asked. Jennifer and Soda simply nodded. "That must have been a shock to you two." She said, gesturing to me and Angelina.

"You aren't kidding." Angelina laughed.

"And then we had the fighting lesson." Dally finally spoke up.

"And how did that go?" Matt asked, knowing his mother and her sister wouldn't want to fight anyone.

"It took a little coaxing to get your mom to really get into it, but man could she handle a knife by the end of it all." Dally smirked.

"Then Rachel and I got jumped by some Stingrays when we were coming home from a date. Just as they were running off, Jennifer and Sodapop found us." Ponyboy said. "Jennifer was a nervous wreck afterwards.

"And some socs bothered me at work that same week." Emma said. Everyone stared at her, she never mentioned that before. "I handled it guys, and besides, that was 34 years ago. What could you do about it now?" She laughed.

"And Angelina was bothered by a couple drunk Stingrays as well." Johnny said. "But she gave one a good punch in the face and they left her alone."

"Mom? Punch someone? You're joking!" Rebecca laughed. Angelina simply rolled her eyes.

"Of all the things about me to be surprised about, it's the fact that I punched someone who was acting like an asshole?" Angelina asked. Becca simply shrugged.

"After all those incidents, we planned a rumble to end all of our troubles." Steve said.

"Rumble?" Martha asked. I bit my lip, wondering how to explain it to her, but Shayne beat me to it.

"A big fight." Shayne said. "I see them from time to time when I'm on duty. They're always a mess to try to shut down."

"They still have rumbles these days?" Dally asked. "I thought they were something that died with the soc and greaser thing."

"It's not socs and greasers anymore, Dally. It's immigrants and born citizens, poor and rich, east and west, north and south. Heck, I'd argue that it's worse now than in the sixties." Shayne tugged at his short dark blond hair slightly.

"We thought it was going to be just us guys, but then Rachel and Emma decided to sneak out and show up to join us." Steve continued. "At that point, we needed all the hands we could get, so we let them join us. I still wonder if that was the right choice." Steve sighed.

"There were so many more of them than there were of us, even with me and Emma there. If we hadn't been there, you would've been creamed. And where would you all have gone after the rumble? With Dally as hurt as he was, you guys wouldn't have been able to make it to the Curtis' or Buck's and you sure as hell weren't going to bother the poor helpless girls you were fighting for." Rachel narrowed her eyes.

"You know, I was mad at first when I found out you two were in the rumble, but it's a good thing you were there so the boys could come over to our house." Angelina said.

"Thanks for playing nurse for us." Keith smiled at Angelina.

"It was a lot to take in at once, with Jennifer fainting and how beat up you guys were, but I think I'd do it again if I had the opportunity." Angelina smiled. "But it also made me designated nurse whenever anyone got in trouble and Darry wasn't around to help, and there are only so many times you can be sympathetic to people waking you up at three in the morning for stitches."

"We went to Buck's to celebrate our victory a while later, once everyone was recovered." Soda smiled.

"You mean that creepy old guy who likes country music and drinks whiskey out of the bottle?" Andrea asked.

"ANDREA!" Jennifer exclaimed. "Why on earth were you over there?!"

"Calm down, Mom. I just passed his house before and he was on the porch." Jennifer opened her mouth to say something, but sighed instead.

"What a night." Emma sighed. "Keith kissed me for the first time." Emma turned to her husband. "You must have had a hell of a hangover the next day."

"I did, and I could barely remember what I did the night before. But I remember kissing you." Keith said, patting Emma's leg.

"I remember Jennifer trying that hard lemonade." Dally laughed. "And she was only sixteen too." Jennifer's kids stared at their mother, who only innocently took a sip of her wine, her dark eyes dancing in amusement.

"We didn't even let Ponyboy and Rachel in Buck's house. We found them hours letter, sitting in my truck bed with a book between them. It looked like they also snuck a bottle of beer each." I laughed slightly, taking a gulp of my beer.

"And we spent all night watching the stars." Johnny smiled. "And sneaking a few slow dances on the back porch. It was so quiet and intimate." Angelina nodded.

"And Soda and I danced the night away." Jennifer sighed whimsically.

"You know, things are going to change soon." Rachel sighed. "But one thing will always stay the same. You're always going to have family, friends, and enemies."

"And once you find a good group of friends, stick to them like glue." Ponyboy said.

"Mary, you're bringing a baby into a world completely different from when we grew up. It's even drastically different from when you grew up. You need to be ready for the challenge of raising your son. But you and Adam aren't alone. You have all 26 of us here for you." Mary nodded in thanks to her mother. Jennifer walked over to the coffee table, where she set the wines and beers for the night, so she could refill her glass. She bumped her shin on the table and squeaked.

"Remember our grad party when Jennifer ran into the table of food and then ended up covered in it?" Rachel laughed.

"What?" Patrick smiled staring at his mother. She merely smiled and shook her head.

"That was priceless." Johnny snickered, looking over at our clumsy family member.

"I still remember your valedictorian speech, Ponyboy." Allie smiled. Ponyboy turned bright red.

"You look as red as when Jennifer fainted at your birthday party." I teased, causing his blush to deepen.

"That party though." Ponyboy laughed, trying not to look embarrassed. "Who would have thought that a food fight would break out at an eighteen and nineteen year olds' birthday party?"

"I did." Keith piped up, causing everyone to laugh.

"Well I wouldn't have expected Darry to suggest that camping trip in '66." Johnny said looking my way. "I never thought I'd get the chance to leave Tulsa plus doing it with Angelina was even better."

"I still can't believe how lucky I am to have this lady as my wife." Sodapop smiled, dropping his arm over Jennifer's shoulders.

"You're too sweet." Jennifer responded simply, kissing Sodapop's nose.

"It was a beautiful ceremony, and the reception was amazing. You really did have your fairytale princess wedding." Angelina said.

"And all at the age of 20." I laughed

"And then you had your honeymoon babies. You don't know how confused I was to wake up in the middle of the night with Sodapop leaning over me and telling me to get dressed and go to his house. It took me a while to process what was going on." Steve said, smirking slightly.

"But they were completely worth it." Jennifer smiled.

"Yeah, I guess they were." Steve smiled.

"Wait, you were married with kids before 22, but I still have to tell you every little thing I'm doing?" Andrea asked.

"Times have changed Princess." Soda smiled.

"And even with the twins Jennifer threw me that crazy bachelorette party and got drunk out of her mind." Angelina laughed. "I still think a night in would've been just fine."

"First off, I was not drunk out of my mind-" Jennifer tried to interject.

"Oh yes you were." Angelina and Sodapop said simultaneously.

"You stood up and nearly walked straight off the bed when I set you down to sleep. Thankfully I was there to catch you and lay you down." Sodapop laughed.

"Geez, Mom." Shayne laughed. "If that isn't drunk then I don't know what is."

"Okay. I was drunk. But I thought it would be fun for you to do something different than normal." Jennifer admitted.

"I appreciate the thought, but we could've done different without three fourths of us getting drunk." Angelina smiled.

"I still say one of my fondest moments was finding out we were having a child." Johnny mentioned.

"That's one of mine too Johnnycake." Angelina said, resting her head on her husband's shoulder. _It's been so long since anyone of us have used that nickname_. "And, of course, I love all my nieces and nephews too."

"You even helped deliver Jennifer's baby." Dally drawled.

"What? No I didn't!" Angelina said, shocked and half choking on her wine. "I took her to the hospital and was in the room with her, but that was it."

"I still wish I could have been there." Sodapop sighed.

"Why do you still hold that against yourself?" Jennifer asked, turning to her husband. _Oh God._ Jennifer's kids tensed up slightly.

"And remember when Ponyboy and my book became a bestseller?" Rachel asked, quickly trying to change the subject. I looked over at Jennifer's bookshelf, with all of my brother and sister in law's books proudly displayed on the top shelf.

"I still remember when Andrea was born and the three of us spent two nights with Aunt Angelina and Uncle Johnny." Patrick smiled. "None of us quite knew how babies were born at that time, but we were all excited to meet the new addition." He then looked over at his younger sister. "And now we're all waiting to meet the newest addition again, this time with even more excitement."

"I think we're all excited to meet Steven Patrick Baxter." Adam said.

"Steven Patrick?" Sodapop smiled slightly. "So that's my grandson's name."

"We are going to spoil him rotten." Jennifer cooed. Mary beamed, resting her hand on her stomach.

"Uncle Steve, I think this would be a good time to ask you to be our son's godfather."

"Of course!" Steve smiled brightly.

"We're doing things a bit untraditionally." Adam said. "So Patrick, will you be Steven's other godfather?"

"Yes." Patrick said, tearing up slightly.

I glanced up at the clock, noticing there was only a minute left to midnight.

"Midnight's coming soon." I said suddenly. Everyone stared at me as I began the countdown.

"TEN... NINE... EIGHT... SEVEN... SIX... FIVE... FOUR... THREE... TWO... ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" We all yelled. The couples kissed, and parents hugged their children. I noticed Martha and Andrea sneak away, and nudged Allie. She followed them and came back a few minutes later.

"We need to get going. Martha doesn't feel well" She whispered to me. I nodded and began saying my good byes to everyone.

"Off so soon?" Soda asked.

"Yeah, well, Martha doesn't feel well." I explained, Sodapop's face dropped. "Thanks for having us over tonight. There would've been too many people to do this at my house like we used to."

"See you later, Darry." Jennifer smiled, giving me a hug. "Tell Martha we hope she feels better." I went upstairs to get our coats.

When we got home, Martha went straight to bed. Allie began making a hot water bottle.

"Things have really changed since I first met those girls." I sighed, heading to our medicine chest to find something for my daughter.

"I'm sure for the better." Allie smiled as she took my hand and we walked upstairs.

"Very. Soda's so happy with his wife and kids. He's just like Dad with them. And Ponyboy has the job of his dreams." I smiled as I thought of my brothers. We walked into the bedroom and changed into our pajamas. "Keith really shaped up after he met Emma, and I've never seen Johnny happier since he married Angelina."

"And Dally really changed too. He always had the rep of being a no good hood. Everyone in town had heard of him." Allie laughed. "But now he's working a steady job and hasn't been in jail for decades."

"And I'm happy that Steve found a family in Jennifer and Sodapop."

"And he's a wonderful businessman." Allie added, starting to sit down on the bed.

"Yeah, especially when you've known your partner in business since before you could read." As Allie laid down, I heard Martha's quiet groan. I quietly went out so Allie didn't notice and entered Martha's room. I helped her sit up and gave her some of the medicine and handed her the hot water bottle.

"Want me to stay with you for a little while?" Martha nodded and smiled ever so slightly as I heard the clock toll. _Another hour into the new year._ I glanced back over into our room and then at Martha. _Things have sure changed, and I wouldn't change a thing._


End file.
